#1141 Matti Häyry: Cloning and Antinatalism

Aug 25, 2025

Matti Häyry, a Professor of Philosophy specializing in moral and political philosophy at Aalto University, dives into the intricate world of cloning. He distinguishes between pure and impure cloning, discussing ethical objections rooted in theology and the complexities of 'playing God.' The dialogue explores utilitarian morality and bioethics, weighing the benefits of new technologies against moral concerns. Häyry also critiques identity issues for cloned individuals and embraces the provocative intersections of cloning, reproduction, and feminist bioethics.

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INSIGHT

Pure Vs Impure Cloning Defined

Pure cloning means producing a genetic copy or near copy without selection or genetic manipulation.
Impure cloning mixes cloning with enhancements or selection, which changes the ethical debate.

ANECDOTE

Church Claims And A Rock Opera

Matti recounts the 1997 episode where the Roman Catholic Church briefly said clones would have no souls and then retracted it.
He and Tuija used cloning debates to create a rock opera called Playing God and performed it internationally.

INSIGHT

Legal Contrast: Animals Vs Humans

Non-human animal cloning is widely practiced and rarely legally restricted.
Human cloning by nuclear transfer was legally prohibited worldwide after Dolly's cloning in 1997.

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Dr. Matti Häyry is Professor of Philosophy at Aalto University School of Business, Finland. Dr. Häyry’s main fields of interest have been moral and political philosophy and philosophical bioethics. His practical topics in bioethics have ranged from abortion, euthanasia, and resource allocation to genetics, systems biology, and synthetic biology. Theoretically, his work has centered on the main normative doctrines of European moral and political philosophy. He is the co-author of Pure Cloning.

In this episode, we focus on Pure Cloning. We first define pure and impure cloning. We go through theological objections to human cloning; theoretical moralities, including utilitarianism, deontology, and teleological moralities; ideological rationalities, including the Georgetown principles, and the Barcelona Declaration; and feminist bioethics. Finally, we discuss the relationship between pure cloning and reproduction in general, and the link with antinatalism.

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