Education amid the deluge of enhancement discourses

Abstract

This article delves into the examination of the similarities and disparities between education and enhancement, with a particular focus on enhancement within the realm of NBIC (Nano-Bio-Information Technology, Cognitive Science). After scrutinizing how proponents of enhancement have delineated the concept of education, our investigation unfolds along two primary dimensions: the anthropological underpinnings of education and enhancement discourse and their respective objectives. Through this analysis, we assert that education and enhancement exhibit distinct characteristics and objectives, defying easy comparison for determining which approach is more conducive to human improvement, notwithstanding their superficially analogous theoretical frameworks and objectives. Furthermore, we aim to highlight the perceptual illusions that blur the demarcation lines between education and enhancement, in order to establish a clear and distinctive role for education amid the plethora of enhancement discourses.

Keywords:

• Education
• enhancement
• deficient-being
• dualistic anthropology
• NBIC
• BCE

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeong-Gil Woo

Jeong-Gil Woo is Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Kyung Hee University (Seoul, Republic of Korea). His academic interests include Humanism and Posthumanism Discourse in Science of Education, Dialogue and Communication Studies, and Intersubjectivity and Interculturality Studies in Science of Education.