Lanovsky, M. F. False Beauty: Cosmetic Surgery and Philosophical Discourse on Human Nature

Abstract: The present article is devoted to the inter-disciplinary topic that relates to psychology, philosophical anthropology, biomedical ethics and partly philosophy of medicine and social psychology. First of all, the author of the article appeals to the fundamental concept in philosophy — ‘human nature’. The author interprets this concept from the point of view of classical philosophy and positive human studies of the twentieth century. At the same time, the author also addresses the current socio-cultural situation where human identity becomes a problem due to the ‘medicalization’ of culture, development of biotechnologies and the spread of dangerous addictions. The author touches upon the practices of cosmetic (or plastic) surgery and psychological and philosophical aspects thereto. In the course of critical analysis of the aforesaid practices the researcher uses ontological, ethic, social and philosophical arguments. Within the framework of the present research bioethics is viewed as an interdisciplinary research methodology. In addition, the author uses dialectical and phenomenological methods of research as well as analysis and interpretation of literary sources. The scientific novelty and importance of the present research article is the critical analysis of cosmetic surgery and associated addictions as a widely spread disease of modern human. So far Russian psychological and philosophical researches haven’t paid enough attention to this topic while the aforesaid practices and addictions can actually have negative anthropological consequences. Based on the analysis of foreign sources on the matter, the author describes possible ways to criticize cosmetic (plastic) surgery and proves the efficiency of social and ethic argumentation on this matter.

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