The Biopolitics of Human Enhancement: Overview and Intent

This introductory chapter outlines the historical, theoretical, and political framework within which contemporary debates on human enhancement must be situated. Moving from a broad understanding of enhancement as a longstanding human practice to its modern biomedical and technological forms, the text traces the emergence of enhancement as an explicitly political issue in the twentieth century. Early visionary reflections by figures such as Haldane, Bernal, and Julian Huxley anticipated a future shaped by scientific intervention in human biology, while post-war reactions to eugenics generated enduring scepticism and bioconservative resistance. The chapter reconstructs the development of transhumanism and its critics, highlighting the ideological spectrum ranging from libertarian futurism to religious and secular bioconservatism. It emphasizes how enhancement technologies—genetic engineering, life extension, neuroenhancement, and moral enhancement—have progressively transformed bioethical and regulatory debates, challenging traditional distinctions between therapy and enhancement and raising questions of justice, access, and global governance. Particular attention is devoted to the regulatory and distributive dimensions of enhancement, including the politics of longevity research, moral bioenhancement, and emerging neurotechnologies. These issues reveal deep tensions concerning human nature, dignity, equality, and the role of the state in shaping biomedical innovation. The volume is presented as a structured exploration of both theoretical foundations and practical applications, addressing metaphysical, ethical, legal, and socio-political implications. By situating enhancement within a broader biopolitical perspective, the text underscores the need for interdisciplinary engagement capable of addressing the complexity of technologies that blur the boundaries between therapy, empowerment, and transformation.