A leading US bioethicist will examine the ethical implications of transhumanism at the 2026 Plunkett Lecture in Sydney.
Professor Jason T Eberl of Saint Louis University will deliver the annual lecture on 8 April, addressing a movement that promotes the use of biotechnology and artificial intelligence to enhance human beings beyond their natural limits.
Transhumanism, which has gained traction in recent years alongside rapid developments in AI, seeks to transform the human person through physical, cognitive and even moral enhancement.
Professor Eberl will draw on the thought of St Thomas Aquinas to assess whether such enhancement is possible, desirable or ethical.
“The transhumanist movement challenges us to reaffirm the fundamental shared nature of all human persons and an objective understanding of what it means for human persons to flourish,” he said.
“While novel biotechnologies and AI are not, in themselves, something to fear, we must tread carefully in our moral assessment of how such technologies may impact human lives and well-being.”
Professor Eberl is the Hubert Mäder Chair in Bioethics and director of the Albert Gnaegi Centre for Bioethics at Saint Louis University in Missouri.
Plunkett Centre director Dr Xavier Symons said the lecture comes at a critical moment.
“The human person is increasingly thought of as a limit that needs to be surpassed, particularly in light of recent developments in biotechnology and AI,” Dr Symons said.
“This should concern all of us who are interested in human dignity and flourishing.”
He said Professor Eberl’s work would help clarify the distinction between legitimate forms of medical or therapeutic enhancement and more radical visions of “posthumanism”.
The lecture follows ongoing debate within the church about emerging technologies, including the recent document Quo vadis, humanitas? from the Vatican’s International Theological Commission, which addresses the anthropological challenges posed by transhumanism.
Hosted by the Plunkett Centre for Ethics, the annual lecture series brings international scholars to Sydney to address contemporary issues in healthcare ethics. The 2025 lecture, delivered by emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis, also explored the ethical implications of emerging medical technologies.
Professor Eberl will deliver the free public lecture on 8 April at St Vincent’s Clinic in Darlinghurst, with a 5pm arrival for a 5.30pm start. Register at bit.ly/2026PlunkettLecture.
