The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics was founded in 2003 by Julian Savulescu, an Australian philosopher and ethicist who currently serves as the Chen Su Lan Centennial Professor in Medical Ethics at the National University of Singapore. His career bridges clinical medicine and academic research, focusing primarily on the ethical implications of genetic selection and human enhancement.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1963 in Melbourne, Savulescu completed his medical training at Monash University, receiving both a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and a Bachelor of Medical Science. He pursued his Doctor of Philosophy at the same institution under the supervision of Peter Singer, focusing on ethical concerns in end-of-life care. From 1994 to 1997, he served as a Sir Robert Menzies Medical Scholar at the University of Oxford, studying under Derek Parfit. Prior to his full-time academic appointment, he gained practical experience working in emergency medicine.
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Savulescu transitioned into academia as a Logan Research Fellow at Monash University between 1997 and 1998. He held a professorship at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine from 1999 to 2002 and concurrently directed the Ethics Program at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. In 2002, he was appointed to the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, succeeding Roger Crisp. He later assumed the Chen Su Lan Centennial Professor in Medical Ethics role at the National University of Singapore in 2022, while remaining a Distinguished Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
Procreative Beneficence and Enhancement
Savulescu introduced the concept of procreative beneficence, positing that parents possess a moral obligation to select offspring with the highest life prospects using techniques like preimplantation genetic diagnosis. His work extends to moral enhancement, where he argues that humans may require genetic or technological intervention to overcome biological constraints such as parochialism and self-interest. He maintains that failing to address these inherent limitations, alongside the availability of destructive technology, risks collective extinction.
Controversial Applications
His research includes the justification of embryo destruction for medical utility. Savulescu argues that using cloning to create embryos or fetuses for the purpose of harvesting tissues, organs, or self-compatible cells for transplantation is not only permissible but morally required. During his tenure as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics, he facilitated debate on sensitive topics, including a 2012 double issue examining the moral status of newborns, which invited diverse perspectives on infanticide and euthanasia.
Fast facts
- Born: 1963, Melbourne, Australia
- Education: Monash University
- Current Position: Chen Su Lan Centennial Professor, National University of Singapore
- Key Concept: Procreative beneficence
- Award: Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2026)
- Past Role: Editor-in-chief, Journal of Medical Ethics
Questions readers ask
What is procreative beneficence?
It is the moral obligation Savulescu proposes for parents to select children expected to have the best life prospects through techniques like embryo selection.
What is Savulescu's stance on moral enhancement?
He argues that humans may need enhancement to address self-interest and parochialism to survive global challenges.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Oxford
- Fields: bioethics
