004. Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the complex ethics of growing human organs in animal hosts. Are we in danger of creating human-like animals? Could such animals claim human rights? And are we sufficiently respecting the dignity of such animal hosts?

Join us for an hour-long dose of your Daily Philosophy and take part in a thrilling exploration of the philosophical issues surrounding  modern transplantation medicine.

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Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.

Please note that we had some technical issues recording this episode, which resulted in us re-recording a few minutes of the episode at a different date. This is why a handful of short snippets of the recording sound a bit different from the rest. Don't worry, your ears are fine.

00:00:35 Intro
00:01:30 Chimeras: Monkeys as hosts for human organs
00:02:42 What is new about chimeras?
00:04:00 The word “chimera”
00:06:06 Overview of the moral issues
00:07:45 The need for organs
00:09:35 Intentions vs outcomes in ethics
00:13:04 Is it ethical to kill anyone for their organs?
00:14:10 The “trolley problem”
00:15:30 The doctrine of double effect
00:17:16 The “humanity” of chimeras
00:19:32 Do monkeys have different moral status from pigs?
00:21:00 The problem of animal suffering
00:22:21 The analogy to meat production
00:24:36 Jeremy Bentham on animal suffering
00:24:59 Peter Singer on speciesism
00:30:08 Aristotle and the flourishing of humans and animals
00:31:19 Kant: Autonomy and human dignity
00:37:57 Deontological arguments
00:39:15 Do pigs have dignity?
00:40:13 Being human vs being a person
00:42:16 Mary Anne Warren on personhood
00:44:20 The danger of creating human-like life accidentally
00:49:30 Manipulating animal development
00:50:21 The Christian argument
00:56:02 The dignity of animals
01:00:01 Is high-tech medicine ethical?
01:03:20 Conclusion

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:14:10 The “trolley problem”
00:15:30 The doctrine of double effect
00:24:36 Jeremy Bentham on animal suffering
00:24:59 Peter Singer on speciesism
00:30:08 Aristotle and the flourishing of humans and animals
00:31:19 Kant: Autonomy and human dignity
00:37:57 Deontological arguments
00:42:16 Mary Anne Warren on personhood
00:50:21 The Christian argument

Next episode: The ethics of exporting deadly drugs for US executions.

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