Speakers
Main speaker: Fr Jorge Jesús (Chaplain of Thomas of Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California)
Rev. Dr. Dr. Jorge Jesus Lopez, born in San Luis (Argentina), obtained his first PhD Philosophy at Holy Cross University in Rome with the Thesis The normativity of Language in the Construction of the Social Reality according to John Searle (2018); and the second Personal responsibility and Human Enhancement and Julian Savulescu and Leon Kass (2022) at Holy Cross University in Rome. He gained a Masters in Bioethics at Pontifical Institute John Paul II in Rome (2020) with The war against aging, Theological and Anthropological implications. He is Associate professor of Moral Theology at Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Sede San Luis, (Arg) and Chaplin at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula California.
Respondent: Professor Julian Savulescu
Abstract
How can we achieve better lives? Is there a way to improve our chances of having a 'good life' with deep and rewarding personal relationships, being creative and disciplined, achieving sporting success, living meaningful lives with a sense of value and purpose, raising socially responsible children, etc. Can virtuousness be enhanced, and if so, will it improve our well-being? Ultimately, could moral enhancement prevent us from destroying the world with biotechnology?
These are urgent questions in need of answers. In this Uehiro Christmas Special: Christianity in Dialogue with Atheism - Moral Enhancement, I will explore aspects of Theology and Human Enhancement to seek guidance for our biotechnological lives.
