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Ecological Engineering: Reshaping Our Environments to Achieve Our Goals

Ecological Engineering: Reshaping Our Environments to Achieve Our Goals Human beings are subject to a range of cognitive and affective limitations which interfere with our ability to pursue our individual and social goals. I argue that shaping our environment to avoid triggering these limitations or to constrain the harms they cause is likely to be more effective than genetic or pharmaceutical modifications of our capacities because our limitations are often the flip side of beneficial dispositions and because available enhancements seem to impose significant costs. I argue that carefully selected environmental interventions respect agents’ autonomy and are consistent with democratic decision making. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Philosophy & Technology Springer Journals

Ecological Engineering: Reshaping Our Environments to Achieve Our Goals

Philosophy & Technology , Volume 25 (4) – Jan 27, 2012

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References (91)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by The Author(s)
Subject
Philosophy; Philosophy of Technology
ISSN
2210-5433
eISSN
2210-5441
DOI
10.1007/s13347-012-0065-8
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Human beings are subject to a range of cognitive and affective limitations which interfere with our ability to pursue our individual and social goals. I argue that shaping our environment to avoid triggering these limitations or to constrain the harms they cause is likely to be more effective than genetic or pharmaceutical modifications of our capacities because our limitations are often the flip side of beneficial dispositions and because available enhancements seem to impose significant costs. I argue that carefully selected environmental interventions respect agents’ autonomy and are consistent with democratic decision making.

Journal

Philosophy & TechnologySpringer Journals

Published: Jan 27, 2012

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