EUGENICS AND GENETIC ENGINEERING: AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS BASED ON THE WORKS OF HANS JONAS AND MICHAEL SANDEL

Abstract

This article analyzes the ethical implications of eugenics and genetic intervention based on the reflections of Hans Jonas and Michael Sandel. The objective is to discuss to what extent the advancement of biotechnologies, by enabling human genetic manipulation and enhancement, turns the human being into an object of technology. Methodologically, this is a bibliographic and philosophical study grounded primarily in the works of the aforementioned authors. Initially, the historical context of eugenics is presented, along with the distinction between its negative and positive forms. Next, the specific characteristics of biological technology are examined in comparison with traditional technologies, highlighting aspects such as unpredictability, irreversibility, heredity, and the power exercised by present generations over future ones. Finally, the article discusses so-called liberal eugenics and its risks to human freedom, autonomy, and diversity. It concludes that although scientific advances offer important therapeutic possibilities, genetic manipulation guided by the ideal of human enhancement requires prudence and ethical responsibility, as it may compromise human freedom and the very constitution of what it means to be human.