Purchasing advantage and merit is a frequent topic for both secular and theological ethicists. Similar attention has been given to questions on the commodification of certain goods and the moral nature of blocked exchanges. Less common, however, is sustained consideration of the moral nature of the market itself as it affects and effects the moral perception of the purchase.
This paper argues that presenting biotechnological enhancements within a market framework allows the user, and the larger society, to ignore, deny, or circumvent the moral status of (1) the goods purchased and (2) the permissability of the action of purchase itself. Framing the enhancements as "options" and "choices" that are offered freely in the market square obscures the moral questions involved and diminishes the ability to recognize and address these questions. Differentiating between enhancement as "purchase" and enhancement as "action" provides a lens through which to examine the moral and ethical issues at stake.
The paper will engage the works of Michael Sandel and Devin Singh on the theological history and moral limits of commodification. It will then work at the intersection of moral enquiry and legal statute (Rethinking Commodification) to construct a workable response.
Purchasing advantage and merit is a frequent topic for both secular and theological ethicists. Similar attention has been given to questions on the commodification of certain goods and the moral nature of blocked exchanges. Less common, however, is sustained consideration of the moral nature of the market itself as it affects and effects the moral perception of the purchase.
Presenting biotechnological enhancements within a market framework allows the user, and the larger society, to ignore, deny, or circumvent the moral status of (1) the goods purchased and (2) the permissability of the action of purchase itself. Framing the enhancements as "options" and "choices" that are offered freely in the market square obscures the moral questions involved and diminishes the ability to recognize and address these questions. Differentiating between enhancement as "purchase" and enhancement as "action" provides a lens through which to examine the moral and ethical issues at stake.