Anticipating Human Enhancement

Abstract

This chapter provides a novel approach for identifying ethical issues on bodyware as new ICT devices are being integrated into human bodies with the help of unconventional interfaces. To establish a primer to the range of potential questions to this phenomenon, the authors provide an ethical analysis taking an agential realist perspective (Barad, 2007) and using anticipatory technology ethics (Brey, 2012). They illustrate their approach with the Student Locator Pilot Project in San Antonio Texas as a case study, where “smart” ID cards with embedded RFID chips have been deployed. To conclude, the authors argue that their approach is well suited to address questions on how augmented bodies and enhanced minds of human beings intra-act with bodyware in everyday social and organizational life.