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How can we define a human enhancement? We might think of it as something that gives us a comicbook superpower – extra strength, perhaps, or the ability to fly – or as a pill that will make us smarter or extend our lifespan. But we are already living enhanced lives, and have been for a long time.
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People have long ‘enhanced’ their bodies and lives, compensating for some kind of loss of function, using prostheses – be they artificial limbs or new sets of teeth. But can these assistive devices serve a purpose beyond the functional?
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The sometimes-fraught relationship between the body and technology has captured the human imagination in many ways, from 16th-century explorations of prosthetic technology to modernist interpretations of the body itself as a machine.
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Athletes have often looked to technology and chemical enhancement to provide the 'edge' over their competitors. In modern sports, as ever more stringent restrictions are applied in an attempt to level the playing field, so the innovations increase to get around these constraints. But how do we establish the limits of what is appropriate?