IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2017 - 35

way that the basic capacities of human nature - life and
bodily integrity, pursuit of knowledge, interpersonal harmony, pursuit of religious fulfillment, skillful performance in
work and play, inner harmony - are not deliberately
harmed or destroyed. Respecting public good means
upholding those conditions in society that allows individuals and communities ready and thorough access to the
means for their own fulfillment.

Recognize Complexity of Augmentation
Augmentation is contextual and thus an ethical treatment of the space must always consider the individual,
social, and specific contexts surrounding augmentation.
Predictions of social, economic, and cultural responses
to technological interventions should always be considered in concert with the development of a particular
technology. Further distinctions in context that should
be analyzed include the distinction between therapy
and enhancement, the environment (i.e., military vs.
civilian) in which augmentation is occurring and whether a distinction between temporary and permanent
interventions can be made in a particular instance.

Reduce Social Disruption
In general there should be an attempt to minimize harmful
forms of social disruption that might arise from human
augmentation. There is significant potential for social disruption as a result of human augmentation. Current disparities in access to medical treatments or assistive
technologies are inherently disruptive. Societal discord
may arise due to limited access to augmentation for specific groups, explicit augmentation requirements for employment, or superior capacity or performance by augmented
individuals creating de facto obligations for individuals.
Risk-reward calculations should be made when the benefit
to an individual is weighed against the disruption to society
or others, and decisions should be made based on outcomes that promote a peaceful, safe, and equitable future.

Understand the Rights
and Obligations of the Community
Encourage accountability and responsibility of individuals, groups, and communities for the safety of themselves and others in their public or private research and
their personal behavior.

Adopt Ethical Principles for Behavior and Research
It is the obligation of those in the community to adopt a
code of ethics in their research and promote ethical behavior.

Promote Justice
The welfare of single individual or group should never be
arbitrarily preferred over the welfare of any other. At all
stages of innovation, justice should be prioritized. Funding, research, and development of technologies and tools
of human augmentation should be pursued with equal
access, wide distribution, and fair benefit-to-risk ratios in
mind. Promote justice by respecting human dignity and
considering the right of all humans to be valued and
respected. Everyone should receive ethical treatment in
the face of different forms of augmentation, not only a
select group of individuals.

Promote Fairness and Equity
Promote fairness and equity by balancing incentives for
private research as well as encouraging open, transparent access to technology, data, and research.

Safeguard Individual Autonomy
Promote and support the autonomy of the individual to
alter their own bodies and retain control over future
alterations of their bodies.

Questions for Stakeholders

There is a shared responsibility by all stakeholders and
those with the power and authority to make decisions in
the field of augmentation to recognize the power of their
position. These individuals and groups must always consider the stakeholders who have no voice and no power to
shape the future of technological innovation and interventions. This includes children, the elderly, the sick, the indigent, future generations of children, and the environment.

How should stakeholder communities approach ethical
questions? We hope that communities conducting
research in an institutionalized or do-it-yourself (DIY) context, regulating technology, dispensing with medical treatment, building businesses or engaging in any form of
discourse around human augmentation might use our
framework to engage in democratic deliberation. We have
gathered a number of practical questions that stakeholders can use to prompt discussions. Asking themselves
these questions, they may decide that they are violating
the ethical framework outlined above or advancing a
more just society.

Create Educational Resources

The Medical Community

Promote Responsible Stewardship

Create and promote educational programs for the public that encourage an understanding of the implications
and benefits of various forms of human augmentation
and the accompanying technologies.
march 2017

∕

Is a medical intervention the best way to achieve
what an individual desires?
■ Is the benefit to the patient commensurate with the
harm/risk to the patient and the community?
■

IEEE TEchnology and SocIETy MagazInE

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