Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5328 USA
- Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara
- J.D., University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude
- Biomedical ethics
- Philosophy of medicine
- Philosophy of biology
Dr. Fritz Allhoff is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Western Michigan University.
One particular focus of Allhoff’s bioethics research is on ethical issues in emerging biotechnologies; he has published articles on genetic interventions, stem cells, cloning, neuroethics, nanomedicine, and so on. These publications have appeared in top bioethics journals, including: The American Journal of Bioethics, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, and Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal.
In the past couple of years, his interest in emerging biotechnologies has led him to conduct research regarding ethical issues in nanotechnology. In this area, Allhoff has co-edited two volumes (Wiley, 2007; Springer, 2008) and has published a co-authored manuscript (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). His work in nanotechnology has given rise to a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to explore issues in applying nanotechnology to human enhancement. This project is connected with traditional issues in bioethics about the nature and ethics of enhancement, though it focuses on particular technological applications.
Allhoff routinely teaches PHIL3340: Biomedical Ethics, which is a survey class on philosophical bioethics. He has taught graduate seminars on the philosophy of biology, as well as on the work of Charles Darwin. In the near future, he also hopes to offer an advanced seminar on the philosophy of medicine.