(HE) Technologies in the Military Be Ethically Assessed? Philip Andrew Taraska
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 1-1-2017 How Can the Use of Human Enhancement (HE) Technologies in the Military Be Ethically Assessed? Philip Andrew Taraska Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Taraska, P. A. (2017). How Can the Use of Human Enhancement (HE) Technologies in the Military Be Ethically Assessed? (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/148 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOW CAN THE USE OF HUMAN ENHANCEMENT (HE) TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MILITARY BE ETHICALLY ASSESSED? A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Philip Andrew Taraska May 2017 Copyright by Philip Andrew Taraska 2017 HOW CAN THE USE OF HUMAN ENHANCEMENT (HE) TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MILITARY BE ETHICALLY ASSESSED? By Philip Andrew Taraska Approved April 5, 2017 ________________________ ________________________ Henk ten Have, MD, PhD Gerard Magill, PhD Director, Center for Healthcare Ethics The Vernon F. Gallagher Chair Professor of Healthcare Ethics Professor of Healthcare Ethics (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________ _____________________ Joris Gielen, PhD Henk ten Have, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Healthcare Ethics Director, Center for Healthcare Ethics Center for Healthcare Ethics Professor of Healthcare Ethics (Committee Member) (Center Director) _______________________ James Swindal, PhD Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts iii ABSTRACT HOW CAN THE USE OF HUMAN ENHANCEMENT (HE) TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MILITARY BE ETHICALLY ASSESSED? By Philip Andrew Taraska May 2017 Dissertation supervised by Henk ten Have, PhD, MD War is a terrible price to pay for the prospect of peace. Yet every nation has a moral obligation to protect its citizenry from unjust aggression and threats to security. To be sure, war is always a failure. It is a failure of mankind to come together in mutual respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. The issue of the use of HE in the military is relevant today because the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and the rapid rise of emerging technologies have led to a never-before-seen type of asymmetrical warfare. The rise of these technologies can threaten the inherent dignity of the human person. In turn, the value that a nation places on human dignity in many ways is a gauge of what sorts of rights it will guarantee to its citizens, which impacts their ability to pursue basic human goods and contribute to the common good. Military culture seeks to instill virtues, such as courage and justice, in soldiers and also uphold particular military values, such as honor and selfless service. These virtues and values iv can be threatened if the use of HE in the military are used for immoral purposes. Paternalism, coercion, undue influence, and limited autonomy are all factors that can undermine the dignity of soldiers. Yet these threats can be overcome through a moral framework for how to ethically assess the use of HE in the military. The moral criteria of reversibility, upholding moral agency and military values, voluntary informed consent, and the use of non-HE technologies first (last resort) presented in this dissertation allows one to approach different HE technologies for use in the military and determine if they are compatible with human flourishing. It will be imperative that HE technologies in the military, if morally permissible, are used on a small-scale and only for necessity, not convenience. This approach is valuable because it can overcome demands put forth from the civilian realm that these HE technologies should be available to them as well; based upon philosophical claims of autonomy and individual rights. This dissertation is distinct insofar that it provides a comprehensive approach to current and future ethical issues related to HE in the military. To strengthen and compliment this moral framework, some recommendations are put forth in this dissertation. These include greater transparency in HE research and use, the designation of soldiers as a vulnerable population, greater ethics education for military health care professionals, the codification of international principles and guidelines for the use of HE technologies in the military, and finally a recommendation to balance the overarching principles of autonomy and individualism with a communitarian ethic and common good approach as a beneficial way to assess the use of HE in the military. v DEDICATION To my parents, the late Vincent + and Barbara Taraska, who from a young age instilled in me the values of hard work and dedication. And To my wife Rebecca, whose countenance during this process was divine in nature. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I am thankful to my Lord Jesus Christ, who in union with the Father and Holy Spirit has provided abundant blessings throughout my life. Jesus, I trust in you. Similarly, I am also deeply indebted to Our Blessed Mother, Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Faustina, Saint Padre Pio, Saint Joseph and all the other unknown saints and angels who interceded on my behalf during this process. May they continue to pray for us. I am grateful to Henk ten Have, PhD, MD, the Chair of my dissertation, who patiently dealt with me during this process and encouraged me to persevere during those times when I thought I had enough. His insight and guidance helped bring this dissertation to successful completion. I am also grateful for the invaluable comments from Gerard Magill, PhD, and Joris Gielen, PhD, both members of my dissertation committee. They pointed out the strengths and weakness of this dissertation and led me to fine tune its arguments. I am also indebted to my loving wife Rebecca and children Penelope, Gideon, and baby #3 yet to be born. When I was discouraged I only had to look upon your smiling faces to find encouragement, renewed vigor, and the motivation to charge on with the task at hand. I am also thankful to my lifelong friend and confessor Father Dave Ireland, priest in the Diocese of Cleveland. Your spiritual direction has guided me to pursue the Truth. vii Finally, I am indebted to my fellow U.S. Army Special Forces Green Berets. When the bullets were flying around us in combat, I knew you had my back covered. Take courage my brothers and always run toward the sound of gunfire, for there is where you shall accomplish your mission of De Oppresso Liber. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. IV DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................ VII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. XIII CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 A. HUMAN ENHANCEMENTS IN THE MILITARY .......................................................................... 1 B. CAN HE UPHOLD HUMAN DIGNITY & SIMULTANEOUSLY PROMOTE THE COMMON GOOD? 5 C. MORAL CRITERIA, THEIR APPLICATION, AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE COMMON GOOD. .... 11 D. CHAPTER OUTLINES AND THEIR SUPPORT OF THE THESIS .................................................. 19 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER TWO: MILITARY ETHICS AND HUMAN ENHANCEMENT: A BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................... 24 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 24 I. Military Culture.................................................................................................................. 25 A. Introduction................................................................................................................. 25 B. Military Ethics and Values ......................................................................................... 25 C. Military Virtues .......................................................................................................... 30 II. Military Medical Ethics .................................................................................................... 35 A. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 35 B. Physician-Patient Relationship ................................................................................... 36 C. Dual Loyalty ............................................................................................................... 38 D. International Law ........................................................................................................ 40 E. Torture