Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.10.22
What is the difference between gene therapy, human enhancement and transhumanism?
Gene therapy treats a disease by correcting a genetic defect; enhancement uses medical or biotechnological interventions whose goal is not primarily therapy or prevention but improving a healthy person; transhumanism is a school of thought whose central aim is transforming the human being through technology.
| Term | Goal | Line it crosses |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic screening | test the genome to answer health questions or clarify kinship | what to do with knowledge about future risks |
| Gene therapy | fix a genetic defect | still therapy: restoring health |
| Enhancement | improve beyond normal health (memory, mood, performance) | from healing to optimising |
| Transhumanism | transform the human being itself through technology | from optimising individuals to redesigning the species |
The key distinction is therapy vs. enhancement: medicine has traditionally been justified by restoring health. Once interventions aim beyond that, the familiar justification no longer covers them, and fairness questions (who can afford the upgrade?) appear.
Go deeper:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Human Enhancement — the therapy/enhancement distinction and its critics.- Wikipedia: Transhumanism — history and main ideas of the movement.