Correlation of the moral principles of humanism, hedonism and transhumanism in the natural law theory context

The subject of the research is the relations between moral principles humanism, hedonism and transhumanism in the context of Natural Law Theory. This article reflects new aspects of Natural Law Theory through the combination of these ideas. The aim of the research is to adopt Natural Law Theory to the conditions and requirements of contemporary culture and technical progress. The methodological basis of the research is the logical and systematic methods of scientific knowledge, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis, formal-dogmatic and comparative-legal methods. This article deals with contradictions between humanism and hedonism. They show ambiguity of humanism due to its equal understanding of hedonism in legal culture. Within the framework of this approach, anything that a person likes is declared humane even if it harms one. The process of interpenetration of the principles of humanism and hedonism completes in transhumanism theory. But pure transhumanism has an unrestricted technical impact on the modification of the biological nature of a human being. It determines the law enforcement practices in issues of medical intervention in human body in different cultures and countries. This is how humanism and transhumanism can be used both to justify the ban on the death penalty, euthanasia, and birth control, and to legalize abortions, sex changes, genetic modifications. An attempt to eliminate contradictions between humanism, hedonism and transhumanism is made in the article. The author claims that the true understanding of humanism is impossible without Natural Law Theory. Law as a traditional regulator of social relations cannot afford experiments and must be based on time-tested concepts. In this connection, a contemporary adaptation of Natural Law Theory has been made. The author proposed complex criteria for reasonable intervention in human nature based on a biopsychosocial approach. Since a person actively integrates into interaction with natural, social and technical realities, it seems necessary to talk about the criteria of “natural humanism”, “social humanism” and “technical humanism”. To keep human instincts means to comply with the natural humanism of medical influence on humans. The basic human instincts that should be preserved as vital for the human species include instincts of self-preservation, procreation, posterity care, and a territorial instinct. Respecting the freedom of choice is the next important part of social humanism. A voluntary legal consent is an essential condition for any medical intervention or modification in the human body. Finally, the technical impact on human body has to restore its lost or weakened natural capabilities. Morphological changes and modification of the body’s functions are at risk for the human species. They should not be done without serious medical indications. In conclusion, it is proposed to provide the right to a natural biological status legislatively. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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