Luca Valera

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Verified

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• PhD in Bioethics
• Professor (Associate) at University of Valladolid

Neuroimaging technologies such as brain–computer interfaces and neurofeedback have evolved rapidly as new tools for cognitive neuroscience and as potential clinical interventions. However, along with these developments, concern has grown based on the fear of the potential misuse of neurotechnology. In October 2021, Chile became the first country to...

The reduction of environmental ethics to a mere application of a priori principles has brought the discipline to failure, according to Næss. The broad moralization in the context of environmental policies, moreover, has caused the loss of a genuine interest in the common home. In this sense, in order to recover and re-found an environmental philoso...

Most approaches in environmental ethics that contemplate the normativity of intrinsic values rely on the idea of love or reverence for nature. This paper challenges the need to love nature in order to respect it as a value in itself (i.e., as an intrinsic value). In this regard, the main questions to answer are: is there a need to regard nature as...

Gene drives are genetic elements that in sexually reproducing organisms spread faster than those transmitted through a Mendelian fashion. Since gene drives can be engineered to modify different aspects of physiology and reproduction, they have been proposed as a new and revolutionary tool to control vector-borne diseases, particularly those transmi...

Pantheism (or panentheism) is at the basis of ecological thinking and presumes some sort of ethics focused on the conservation of the environment. Besides, since the main interest of environmental philosophy in general is the ethical issue (not the ontological or cosmological one), we could also state that environmental ontology derives from an eth...

¿Por qué es importante y necesaria la ética de la investigación en Chile? Se convoca aquí a más de setenta académicos y profesionales a presentar sus reflexiones, orientaciones y aprendizajes asociados al resguardo ético y de la seguridad en investigación. Este libro permite una aproximación al quehacer de las universidades chilenas abordando las t...

The hegemonic discourse of sustainable development adopted as an international alternative solution to the socio-ecological crisis has implied a progression of the modern utopian project and most importantly, an intrinsic contradiction and omission that positions sustainable development as something that is not in any place. To understand, discuss,...

Supernumerary robotic limbs are innovative devices in the field of wearable robotics which can provide humans with unprecedented sensorimotor abilities. However, scholars have raised awareness of the ethical issues that would arise from the large adoption of technologies for human augmentation in society. Most negative attitudes towards such techno...

El fenómeno de la gratitud forma parte natural de la vida. Brota cuando uno valora especialmente lo que otro ha realizado por él. Todos hemos sentido en algún momento gratitud hacia otra persona; y también, a veces, hemos percibido la gratitud de otros. La experiencia de gratitud está presente de la misma manera en situaciones de enfermedad grave y...

La ética ambiental nació como justa contestación a los excesos del antropocentrismo. Sin embargo, un énfasis obsesivo en lo ético y en lo ambiental, con el consiguiente olvido de lo antropológico, puede estar dañando la vida humana, la libertad de las personas y la vida en general. Abogamos aquí por la construcción de una ecología humana que vaya m...

Many authors in the field of Environmental Philosophy have claimed to be inspired by Spinoza's monism, which has traditionally been considered a form of pantheism because nature and God coincide. This idea has deep normative implications, as some environmental ethicists claim that wounding nature is the same as wounding God, which implies a resacra...

In this paper, we focus on a novel bioethical approach concerning the ethical implications of the Social Determinants of Health (SDs) in the time of COVID-19, offering a fresh interpretation of our agency and responsibility in the current pandemic era. Our interpretation is grounded on the idea that our health basically depends on factors that go b...

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of philosophical, social, ethical, and legal challenges arising as a consequences of current advances in neurosciences and neurotechnology. It starts by offering an overview of fundamental concepts such as mental privacy, personal autonomy, mental integrity, and responsibility, among others. In turn, it dis...

When discussing possible brain manipulations and interventions, the protection of mental integrity is especially relevant at the anthropological level since human identity may be affected. In this sense, I argue that mental integrity is constituted as a right because it is the condition of possibility for other human dimensions, such as freedom, au...

Current neurotechnological progress opens a number of ethical, philosophical, and political debates. In this chapter, we claim that such progress also implies a more fundamental change in the way we understand the concept of human being. We explore the idea that the analysis of the impact of neurotechnological progress in the way in which we unders...

Over the last years, neurotechnological progress has motivated a number of theoretical and practical worries. For example, the potential misuses of neurodevices with direct access to our neural data in real time might pose a number of threats to our autonomy, free-will, agency, privacy, and liberty. In light of this—not so distant—scenario, coopera...

Medio siglo después de que Van Rensselaer Potter escribiera el libro con el que fundó la nueva ciencia de la bioética, "Bioética. Un puente hacia el futuro" (1971), publicamos la primera traducción al español de seis de sus artículos más importantes que sintetizan las principales ideas con las que este autor fue dando forma a la que llamó la "cienc...

Introduction Clinical and experimental research in medicine has been the main path to most of advances in diagnosis and therapy throughout the history, with remarkable surgeons as researchers. To develop good quality research in surgery is a challenge since special issues difficult the process and lack of time and resources discourage residents and...

El propósito de este capítulo es ponderar las contribuciones de Barry Commoner al pensamiento ecológico y la ética ambiental futura revisitando las así llamadas cuatro leyes de la ecología (que en realidad son principios generales) que él propuso en su libro The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology (1971). Ellos son: 1) todo está conectado c...

El presente artículo ofrece una reflexión bioética a raíz del trato ofrecido a las personas mayores en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19. Como punto de partida, expone una paradoja evidenciada al poner el cuidado del adulto mayor en el centro de las medidas adoptadas ante la enfermedad pero que, a la vez, en algunas ocasiones, ha ofrecido la d...

Remarks on the "Dignified death and palliative care" bill The Chilean House of Representatives is discussing the bill on "Dig-nified death and palliative care", which regulates the so-called medical assistance in dying or euthanasia. This paper will critically analyze the different aspects of the bill, particularly concerning four main dimensions,...

Prólogo

En el presente artículo trataré de explicar tres tesis, que, en mi opinión, constituyen la médula teórica de la filosofía transhumanista, y que se relacionan con 1) la evolución dirigida por los medios tecnológicos; 2) la limitación de la naturaleza humana misma; y 3) la idea de perfección como ideal regulativo moral. Para poder abordar correctamen...

Environmental ethics is often seen as a branch of applied ethics whose task is to offer solutions to emerging ethical dilemmas in the context of ecology. In this paper, we challenge this assumption, showing how the object of environmental ethics raises questions that go beyond that of applied ethics. We explore how the environmental issues bring up...

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the relevance of adequate decision making at both public health and healthcare levels. A bioethical response to the demand for medical care, supplies and access to critical care is needed. Ethically sound strategies are required for the allocation of increasingly scarce resources, such as rationing critical care bed...

La estimulación cerebral profunda (DBS) es un procedimiento neuroquirúrgico usado actualmente para tratar síntomas motores de enfermedades como el Parkinson, distonías y el temblor esencial. Pero también se encuentra en desarrollo para apli-carse en el campo de la psiquiatría, por ejemplo, en las adicciones y trastornos de agresividad. Esto ha gene...

This paper aims to determine whether it is necessary to propose the extreme of putrefaction as the only unmistakable sign in diagnosing the death of the human organism, as David Oderberg does in a recent paper. To that end, we compare Oderberg’s claims to those of other authors who align with him in espousing the so-called theory of hylomorphism bu...

Recently, the Chilean Senate approved the main ideas of a constitutional reform and a Neuro-rights bill. This bill aims to protect people from the potential abusive use of “neuro-technologies”. Unfortunately, a literal interpretation of this law can produce severe negative effects both in the development of neuroscience research and medical practic...

En el presente artículo hago dialogar la propuesta jonasiana con los más recientes desarrollos tecnológicos que se relacionan con la modificación de la naturaleza humana, y, en concreto, con los ámbitos indicados por el mismo Jonas (el control de la conducta, la prolongación de la vida y la manipulación genética). En un segundo momento, con el fin...

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) pandemic is a phenomenon having major consequences worldwide. A number of recommendations have been made to help decision makers, but recommendations should be culturally adapted. From a Latin American perspective, it is important to focus on personal dignity, to give priority of caring for over curing, and t...

La actual crisis sanitaria nos invita a repensar el actual modelo de salud, así como sus implicaciones antropológicas, sociales y económicas. A partir de una breve historia del concepto de salud, en este artículo tratamos de evidenciar los cambios que ese mismo concepto ha implicado a nivel de relación médico-paciente y a nivel de relaciones social...

rEsumEn: Repensar la naturaleza en la época actual significa enfrentar las nuevas perspectivas desarrolladas por la ética ambiental, es decir, las respuestas a la crisis ecológica contemporánea. Los dos paradigmas ambientales principales, biocentrismo y antropocentrismo, antes que ser paradigmas éticos son dos visiones antropológicas desarrolladas...

In recent decades the concept of sustainability has gained great prominence in the public debate and academic research as well. Today, it is a fundamental concept to address the complex crisis we are facing at planetary scales. However, after several decades, its definition is still associated with vague and ambiguous notions that are ultimately de...

Introduction The idea of video recording (VR) in the operating room (OR) with panoramic cameras and microphones is a new concept that is changing the approach to medical activities in the OR. However, VR in the OR has brought up many concerns regarding patient privacy and has highlighted legal and ethical issues that were never previously exposed....

The catastrophic emergency experienced by many countries with the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of bioethics for decision-making, both at the public health (equitable and effective policies) and at the clinical level. At the clinical level, the issues are the fulfillment of medical care demand with adequate health care teams, infrastr...

The crisis and the changes discussed in this book are not only environmental, but also socio-environmental: as humans, we are part of this crisis and responsible actors for finding possible solutions. We appear to live in a catastrophic era, better characterized as Capitalocene than Anthropocene, where unregulated capitalism, directly or indirectly...

Our lives are saturated with technology, to such an extent that we consider technological devices to be “essential” to live. In order to understand this existential situation, we have to return to the notion of technology (tecnos–logos). A broad definition led us to recognize all objects that are not “natural” as technological, changing the domain...

The aim of the present paper is to analyze the idea of 'nature' in the context of the 'Ecosophical thinking' elaborated by Arne Naess, the 'father' of the Deep Ecology Movement. This analysis leads us to deepen the main characteristics of nature-i.e., richness, diversity, vitality, unity, etc.-and to identify the attribute of 'perfection' as a synt...

Este artículo se presenta como una reflexión ética y jurídica acerca de la tendencia actual de los padres a rechazar la vacunación de sus hijos en un régimen jurídico que establece la obligatoriedad de determinadas vacunas. Se analizan los principales argumentos que los padres usan para rechazar las vacunaciones obligatorias, y, en concreto: el tem...

This book offers an authoritative analysis of the challenges that have arisen as a result of modern technologies. It covers several environmental problems, such as climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, loss of natural habitats, pollution and human population growth, and discusses practical scenarios for sustainable human dwelling o...

El desarrollo actual de la ecología ha abierto nuevos desafíos para la reflexión filosófica contemporánea. En este sentido, ya no es posible interpretar la naturaleza humana a partir de una reflexión sobre el hombre como un ser aislado de su ambiente. El paradigma de ecología humana que se presenta aquí quiere heredar la reflexión sobre la filosofí...

Las nuevas tecnologías aparecen como una total novedad respecto a la técnica moderna. Estas ya no pueden ser consideradas como medios o instrumentos utilizados por el hombre para lograr ciertos fines, sino que son hoy nuestro ambiente inmediato, el medio dentro del cual funcionamos. Las nuevas tecnologías son verdaderos objetos morales y, en cierta...

Ha sido usual criticar el posthumanismo por ser una especulación puramente hipotética sin conexión con nuestras posibilidades técnicas y científicas. Se argumenta aquí, sin embargo, que los desarrollos recientes para la producción de diferentes tipos de híbridos —como híbridos de cerdohombre— abren posibilidades reales para el programa posthumanist...

The aim of this paper is to focus on the idea of depth developed by Arne Næss, which is related both to his research methodology and some of its anthropological/cosmological implications. Far from being purely a psychological dimension (as argued by Warwick Fox), in Næss’s perspective, the subject of depth is a methodological and ontological issue...

El objetivo del presente artículo es enfocarse en la idea de profundidad desarrollada por Arne Næss, que tiene que ver con su metodología de investigación y con algunas de sus implicaciones antropológicas/cosmológicas. Lejos de ser una dimensión meramente psicológica (como sostiene Warwick Fox), el tema de la profundidad es, en la filosofía de, un...

In this paper, we discuss Næss’s concept of ecological self in light of the process of identification and the idea of self-realization, in order to understand the asymmetrical relationship among human beings and nature. In this regard, our hypothesis is that Næss does not use the concept of the ecological self to justify ontology of processes, or d...

Nel presente articolo si analizzerà come, a fronte del para-digma transumanista che opera per una progressiva inclusione dell'uomo nel suo stesso processo di 'miglioramento' del mondo, è sempre più pressante la domanda sulla dinamica tra verità (truth) e fiducia (trust) nella relazione uomo-macchina e nella riflessione etica degli enti che orientan...

We argue that, given that the act of eating is rational and relational, it should also be an educational issue dealing with society and environment, politics and health, tastes and trends, as well as genetic and epigenetic factors. This hypothesis arises from a particular theory of the human act and an anthropological approach based on the philosop...

[full article, abstract in English; only abstract in Lithuanian] The aim of this paper is to focus on Arne Nass’s phenomenological method and some of its anthropological and cosmological implications. Nass’s Ecology, Community and Lifestyle, in fact, can be fruitfully read as an example of phenomenological inquiry, in which the notion of “spontane...

The present article deals with the subject of the contemporary concern towards recent technological developments, starting with the current discussion about the topic of perfection. Precisely, one of the hypotheses regarding the causes of this concern is the model of perfection that the society of the technological civilization is promoting: an una...

The ecological issue lies at the heart of many contemporary debates and has recently been embraced within the realm of "religion", as the current ecological crisis questions our worldviews, obliging us to rethink our "metaphysical position in the cosmos". Among the other paradigms, Næss's Deep Ecology seems to maintain a privileged position, since...

La bioética y la ética ambientales están unidas por raíces profun-das. En el presente escrito se intentará demostrar la validez de tal afirmación, tomando como punto de partida la obra del padre de la bioética, Van Rensselaer Potter, y el padre de la ética am-biental, Arne Naess. Las dos disciplinas, además, comparten la misma historia, ya que se c...

Bioethics and environmental ethics share deep common roots. In this paper we will attempt to demonstrate this statement, inspired by both the work of the father of bioethics, Van Rensselaer Potter, and the father of environmental ethics, Arne Naess. The two disciplines even share a common history, since they constitute the most interesting philosop...

In this paper I analyze critically real cases of actions, often deemed " supererogatory " in the context of bioethics and medical ethics, in order to assess whether it is appropriate to classify them in this way. More specifically, I try to discuss the moral legitimacy of a consequence of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), i.e., the freezing of the so-c...

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La bioetica e l’etica ambientale sono accomunate da radici profonde. Nel presente scritto si tenterà di mostrare la validità di tale affermazione, prendendo spunto dall’opera del padre della bioetica, Van Rennselaer Potter, e il padre dell’etica ambientale, Arne Næss. Le due discipline, inoltre, condividono la medesima storia, giacché si configuran...

En este artículo se argumenta que es necesario volver a la propuesta de Potter para redescubrir una idea de bioética más amplia de la sola ética médica, y fuertemente vinculada a la ética ambiental. Las dos disciplinas comparten, entre las otras, las siguientes dimensiones: la conciencia del pecado surgida como consecuencia de los recientes desarro...

Most of the recent publications in environmental ethics are affected by a degenerative rhetoric, since they stress the human destructive power rather than its positive aptitude; in this regard, ethics becomes a “melancholic science”, as it drastically limits human impact on environment. Pointing out the intrinsic relational character of human being...

This article argues that it is necessary to go back to Potter's proposal to rediscover a concept of bioethics wider than medical ethics, and strongly connected to environmental ethics. The two disciplines share, among others, the following dimensions: the consciousness of the sin as a consequence of recent technological developments; the need for a...

In the present paper we want to argue that Wearable Robots (i.e., technological devices used to restore the possibility of walking and re-establishing "normal" human life) should not necessarily be anthropomorphic, in order to respect human autonomy, freedom, and nature. Moreover, we argue that this non-anthropomorphism does not necessarily lead to...