RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The moral bioenhancement of psychopaths
JF Journal of Medical Ethics
JO J Med Ethics
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics
SP 697
OP 701
DO 10.1136/medethics-2016-103537
VO 43
IS 10
A1 Elvio Baccarini
A1 Luca Malatesti
YR 2017
UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/43/10/697.abstract
AB We argue that the mandatory moral bioenhancement of psychopaths is justified as a prescription of social morality. Moral bioenhancement is legitimate when it is justified on the basis of the reasons of the recipients. Psychopaths expect and prefer that the agents with whom they interact do not have certain psychopathic traits. Particularly, they have reasons to require the moral bioenhancement of psychopaths with whom they must cooperate. By adopting a public reason and a Kantian argument, we conclude that we can justify to a psychopath being the recipient of mandatory moral bioenhancement because he has a reason to require the application of this prescription to other psychopaths.