Many surprising factors contribute to economic success. One such factor is height. According to a study reported by J Polit Econ, “For both men and women, the relationship is striking: a one-inch increase in height is associated on average with a 1.4 percent to 2.9 percent increase in weekly earnings, and a 1.0 percent to 2.3 percent increase in average hourly earnings.” On average, the taller we are, the more money we make. This prompt will focus on the ethics of enhancement and not whether it is morally right for taller people to make more money than those with a shorter stature.
Enhancement surgery is now available to lengthen limbs so that a person can become significantly taller (six-plus inches). See the following video of a news story about a person who underwent this procedure. As the video states, these procedures are quite costly, ranging from $80,000 to $150,000.
(Video)
Let’s consider treatment versus enhancement. By treatment, we mean to restore a person’s body to the status it would have without illness or injury. By enhancement, we suggest taking a person’s body beyond the status it would have when free from disease or injury. Discuss the moral implications of pursuing enhancement surgery by selecting one of the ethical perspectives (prompts) below:
- Contrast what a virtue ethicist would say according to its core principles of telos, virtue, eudaimonia, and practical wisdom with what a utilitarian would say using its core principles of welfare, impartiality, sum-ranking, and consequences about the moral permissibility of human enhancements. Explain how one of these theories supports your view. Use appropriate textual evidence to back up your claim. (USLOs 6.1, 6.2, 6.3)
- Contrast what a Kantian would say according to its core principles of universalizability, duty, impartiality, and reciprocity with what a utilitarian would say using its core principles of welfare, impartiality, sum-ranking, and consequences about the moral permissibility of human enhancements. Explain how one of these theories supports your view. Use appropriate textual evidence to back up your claim. (USLOs 6.1, 6.2, 6.3)
References
Case, A., & Paxson, C. (2008). Stature and status: Height, ability, and labor market outcomes. The Journal of Political Economy, 116(3), 499–532.
