Procreative Beneficence: The Moral Obligation to Select the Best Child
Julian Savulescu coined the phrase procreative beneficence. It is the controversial putative moral obligation of parents in a position to select their children, for instance through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, to favor those expected to have the best life. An argument in favour of this principle is that traits (such as empathy and memory) are “all-purpose means” in the sense of being instrumental in realising whatever life plans the child may come to have.

Julian Savulescu is a philosopher who researches the ethics of various new or emerging technologies, including new methods of reproduction and enhancement of physical and cognitive performance through drugs or genetic manipulation. He is director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and is or has been a co-director on many large research projects, looking at topics from geoengineering to vaccines. Savulescu is a recognised world leader in the field of practical ethics, has authored over 170 publications, and has given over 120 invited international presentations. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics.
Date: 1 May 2018, 17:00
Venue: Radcliffe Humanities, Woodstock Road OX2 6GG
Venue Details: Lecture Room
Speaker: Professor Julian Savulescu (Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics)
Organising department: Faculty of Philosophy
Organiser: Oxford PPE Society (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: cyrus.jones@wolfson.ox.ac.uk
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Cyrus Jones