Michael Hauskeller – författare

There are things that can be done and are done to life on earth (whether it be human, animal or plant life) which, even if they do not involve or produce any suffering, are still considered morally wrong by a large proportion of the public. Such things include changing the nature of living beings by means of genetic engineering in order to enhance their health, or, more likely with animals and plants, their utility, or impairing their ability to live autonomously, or unduly instrumentalizing them. Yet many scientists are puzzled about the unwillingness of the public to feel much enthusiasm about a technology that, in their view, promises great benefits to humans and does not seem to cause more harm to animals than other practices which most of us do not question at all. In this book Michael Hauskeller takes public fears seriously and offers the idea of 'biological integrity' as a clarifying principle which can then be analyzed to show that seemingly irrational public concerns about genetic engineering are not so irrational after all and that a philosophically sound justification of those concerns can indeed be given.

This collection of papers aims to increase our understanding of a) what meaning in life is: how it is to be understood, what its constituents are, and how it can be properly distinguished from other features that are commonly thought to be required for a good life, such as happiness, b) in what way, if any, mortality can be said to be detrimental to a life's meaningfulness and what follows from this for the desirability of radical life extension and other (limit-removing) alterations of the present human condition, and c) in what way, if any, death and mortality can be said to be requisites or at least constituents of a meaningful life.

What does it mean to live a meaningful life? Can life be meaningful at all, and if it can, what exactly makes it so? This new volume in the Philosophical Dialogues on Contemporary Issues series addresses these questions through fictional dialogues that relate the theoretical problems that philosophers tend to focus on to the lives of ordinary people, the concerns they have, and the problems they face.Overseeing the seven dialogues presented in this book is the Socrates-like character, Richard Roe, a middle-aged man who has recently lost his son to COVID-19, a tragedy that sets him out on a quest to understand what makes people pursue the goals they do to give their lives meaning. Guided by an engaging set of characters and a captivating narrative, readers are invited to reflect on various contemporary issues. Among them are our common obsession with fame and celebrity, the disturbing tendency of people to rally behind morally obnoxious causes and people, mental crises as a response to the perceived meaninglessness of life, scientific efforts to halt the aging process and to postpone death indefinitely, and the future of work in an age of increasing automatization. This book shows how such issues are intimately connected to both our ability and our desire to live a meaningful life.Dialogues on the Meaning of Life is an accessible introduction to complex philosophical issues raised by theism, atheism, nihilism, transhumanism, well-being, human rights, and theories about death and friendship, and offers an easy-to-follow approach to core questions surrounding the nature of our existence.Key features include:Provides an accessible introduction to the philosophical debate on the meaning of life.Connects abstract philosophical issues to the concrete concerns of ordinary people.Develops and conveys key insights through an engaging narrative.Shows the practical relevance of philosophical theory.

What does it mean to live a meaningful life? Can life be meaningful at all, and if it can, what exactly makes it so? This new volume in the Philosophical Dialogues on Contemporary Issues series addresses these questions through fictional dialogues that relate the theoretical problems that philosophers tend to focus on to the lives of ordinary people, the concerns they have, and the problems they face.Overseeing the seven dialogues presented in this book is the Socrates-like character, Richard Roe, a middle-aged man who has recently lost his son to COVID-19, a tragedy that sets him out on a quest to understand what makes people pursue the goals they do to give their lives meaning. Guided by an engaging set of characters and a captivating narrative, readers are invited to reflect on various contemporary issues. Among them are our common obsession with fame and celebrity, the disturbing tendency of people to rally behind morally obnoxious causes and people, mental crises as a response to the perceived meaninglessness of life, scientific efforts to halt the aging process and to postpone death indefinitely, and the future of work in an age of increasing automatization. This book shows how such issues are intimately connected to both our ability and our desire to live a meaningful life.Dialogues on the Meaning of Life is an accessible introduction to complex philosophical issues raised by theism, atheism, nihilism, transhumanism, well-being, human rights, and theories about death and friendship, and offers an easy-to-follow approach to core questions surrounding the nature of our existence.Key features include:Provides an accessible introduction to the philosophical debate on the meaning of life.Connects abstract philosophical issues to the concrete concerns of ordinary people.Develops and conveys key insights through an engaging narrative.Shows the practical relevance of philosophical theory.

The papers collected in this volume examine moral enhancement: the idea that we should morally improve people through the manipulation of their biological constitution. Whether moral enhancement is possible or even desirable is highly controversial. Proponents argue that it is necessary if we are to address various social ills and avert catastrophic climate change. Detractors have raised a variety of concerns, some of a practical nature and others of principle. Perhaps most fundamentally, however, the proposal forces us to ask anew what being moral actually means, in order for the idea of moral enhancement to make sense at all. The present collection both addresses these issues and moves the debate beyond its current parameters, bringing together authors with a wide range of perspectives and areas of expertise. Chapters variously draw on experimental psychology, social philosophy, pragmatism, Kantian and Aristotelian moral philosophy, and the ethics of care, sex, and psychedelics.

What does popular culture's relationship with cyborgs, robots, vampires and zombies tell us about being human? Insightful scholarly perspectives shine a light on how film and television evince and portray the philosophical roots, the social ramifications and the future visions of a posthumanist world.

There are things that can be done and are done to life on earth (whether it be human, animal or plant life) which, even if they do not involve or produce any suffering, are still considered morally wrong by a large proportion of the public. Such things include changing the nature of living beings by means of genetic engineering in order to enhance their health, or, more likely with animals and plants, their utility, or impairing their ability to live autonomously, or unduly instrumentalizing them. Yet many scientists are puzzled about the unwillingness of the public to feel much enthusiasm about a technology that, in their view, promises great benefits to humans and does not seem to cause more harm to animals than other practices which most of us do not question at all. In this book Michael Hauskeller takes public fears seriously and offers the idea of 'biological integrity' as a clarifying principle which can then be analyzed to show that seemingly irrational public concerns about genetic engineering are not so irrational after all and that a philosophically sound justification of those concerns can indeed be given.

What does popular culture's relationship with cyborgs, robots, vampires and zombies tell us about being human? Insightful scholarly perspectives shine a light on how film and television evince and portray the philosophical roots, the social ramifications and the future visions of a posthumanist world.

What is the point of living? If we are all going to die anyway, if nothing will remain of whatever we achieve in this life, why should we bother trying to achieve anything in the first place? Can we be mortal and still live a meaningful life? Questions such as these have been asked for a long time, but nobody has found a conclusive answer yet. The connection between death and meaning, however, has taken centre stage in the philosophical and literary work of some of the world’s greatest writers: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Soren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herman Melville, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus. This book explores their ideas, weaving a rich tapestry of concepts, voices and images, helping the reader to understand the concerns at the heart of those writers’ work and uncovering common themes and stark contrasts in their understanding of what kind of world we live in and what really matters in life.

What is the point of living? If we are all going to die anyway, if nothing will remain of whatever we achieve in this life, why should we bother trying to achieve anything in the first place? Can we be mortal and still live a meaningful life? Questions such as these have been asked for a long time, but nobody has found a conclusive answer yet. The connection between death and meaning, however, has taken centre stage in the philosophical and literary work of some of the world’s greatest writers: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Soren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herman Melville, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus. This book explores their ideas, weaving a rich tapestry of concepts, voices and images, helping the reader to understand the concerns at the heart of those writers’ work and uncovering common themes and stark contrasts in their understanding of what kind of world we live in and what really matters in life.

Developments in medical science have afforded us the opportunity to improve and enhance the human species in ways unthinkable to previous generations. Whether it's making changes to mitochondrial DNA in a human egg, being prescribed Prozac, or having a facelift, our desire to live longer, feel better and look good has presented philosophers, medical practitioners and policy-makers with considerable ethical challenges. But what exactly constitutes human improvement? What do we mean when we talk of making "better" humans? In this book Michael Hauskeller explores these questions and the ideas of human good that underpin them. Posing some challenging questions about the nature of human enhancement, he interrogates the logic behind its processes and examines the justifications behind its criteria. Questioning common assumptions about what constitutes human improvement, Hauskeller asks whether the criteria proposed by its advocates are convincing. The book draws on recent research as well as popular representations of human enhancement from advertising to the internet, and provides a non-technical and accessible survey of the issues for readers and students interested in the ethics and politics of human enhancement.

Developments in medical science have afforded us the opportunity to improve and enhance the human species in ways unthinkable to previous generations. Whether it's making changes to mitochondrial DNA in a human egg, being prescribed Prozac, or having a facelift, our desire to live longer, feel better and look good has presented philosophers, medical practitioners and policy-makers with considerable ethical challenges. But what exactly constitutes human improvement? What do we mean when we talk of making "better" humans? In this book Michael Hauskeller explores these questions and the ideas of human good that underpin them. Posing some challenging questions about the nature of human enhancement, he interrogates the logic behind its processes and examines the justifications behind its criteria. Questioning common assumptions about what constitutes human improvement, Hauskeller asks whether the criteria proposed by its advocates are convincing. The book draws on recent research as well as popular representations of human enhancement from advertising to the internet, and provides a non-technical and accessible survey of the issues for readers and students interested in the ethics and politics of human enhancement.

This book develops and defends a subjectivist account of meaning in life, which holds that the only place that meaning can ever be found is in the way we experience the living of our lives. Many philosophers consider that a life can only be meaningful if it meets certain objective standards.

By taking the key ideas from transhumanist philosophy – the desirability of human self-design and immortality, the elimination of all suffering and the expansion of human autonomy – Michael Hauskeller explores these narratives and the understanding of human nature that informs them.

By taking the key ideas from transhumanist philosophy – the desirability of human self-design and immortality, the elimination of all suffering and the expansion of human autonomy – Michael Hauskeller explores these narratives and the understanding of human nature that informs them.