Research: Enhancement

Technology pushes the boundaries of what is humanly possible for an athlete to achieve. Advances in technology go hand in hand with an increasing interest in stepping up performance. At the same time, these advances forces us to reassess the moral and philosophical ideas of what it means to be human and what it is to be an athlete.

Biotechnology, nanotechnology and cognitive science offer possibilities to enhance the human body and increase physical performance. When doping as a practice becomes more sophisticated and technologically advanced, the philosophical and ethical questions of doping in sport become increasingly urgent. Doping creates philosophical vagueness on our view of humanity in general, and sporting in particular. This vagueness reflects an uncertainty brought on by the changes in society and social patterns that these technologies create. Our ethical certainties changes and creates contradictions we can no longer explain: Why can a golfer undergo laser eye surgery to improve his sight, when a body builder is not allowed to increase his muscle mass by taking steroids.

Sport provides interesting examples of the clash between what is possible and what is allowed. As such, it is highly relevant for philosophical investigation. What takes place in sport is not science fiction and will inevitably have an effect on society in the not too distant future. Sport, as a constructed social activity, exists within a broader and changeable social context. We therefore need to investigate the potential impact of doping on society and individuals, as well as its present and future implications.

An ongoing PhD project entitled "Is Fair Play Compatible with Doping in Sport?" studies if, and in what sense, doping is incompatible with fairness in sport. The project looks at whether notions of fairness and fair play can be said to function as a constructive foundation for arguments opposed to doping.

More information:

• Ashkan Atry, PhD Student
  
  
• Mats G. Hansson, Professor of Biomedical Ethics
  
  
• Ulrik Kihlbom, Senior Researcher