Projections and the Potential Societal Impact of the Future of Neurotechnologies (original) (raw)

The Societal Hazards of Neuroenhancement Technologies

The Changing Scope of Technoethics in Contemporary Society, 2018

Using cognitive enhancement technology is becoming increasingly popular. In another paper, the authors argued that using pharmacological cognitive enhancers is detrimental to society, through promoting competitiveness over cooperation, by usurping personal and social identifies and thus changing our narrative and moral character. In this chapter, the authors seek to expand that argument by looking at an emerging technology that is rapidly gaining popularity, that of transcranial stimulation (TS). Here the authors explore TS via two major methods, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES). In this, the authors seek to demonstrate that artificial cognitive enhancement is detrimental to society. Furthermore, that the argument can be applied beyond the moral dubiousness of using pharmacological cognitive enhancement, but applied to new, emergent technologies as well. In other words, artificial cognitive enhancement regardless of the technology/medium is detrimental to society.

On the Necessity of Ethical Guidelines for Novel Neurotechnologies

Cell, 2016

Because novel neurotechnologies may alter human identity and society in profound ways, we advocate for the early integration of ethics into neurotechnology. We recommend developing and adopting a set of guidelines, like the Belmont Report on human subject research, as a framework for development and use of brain-related technologies.

Unpacking Neuroscience and Neurotechnology - Instructions not Included: Neuroethics Required

Neuroethics, 2013

Using a metaphorical reminiscence upon holiday toys-and the hopes, challenges and possibilities they presented-this essay addresses the ways that the heuristics, outcomes and products of neuroscience have effected change in the human condition, predicament, and being. A note of caution is offered to pragmatically assess what can be done with neurotechnology, what can't, and what should and shouldn't-based upon the capacities and limitations of both the science, and our collective ability to handle knowledge, power and the unknown. This is not an appeal to impede brain research. To the contrary, it is a call to engage neuroethics as a discipline and set of practices 1) to allow a deeper, more finely-grained understanding of brains and their functions in ecological dynamics (that we define as morality and ethics), and 2) to intuit how to engage neuroscientific research and its applications in the social sphere (inclusive of medicine, public life and national agenda), to more accurately perceive how neuroscience is changing human society and the human being, and to instantiate more relevant ethics and laws that are in step with advancing epistemological capital and technological capability.

Ethical Practice in the Era of Advanced Neuromodulation

Therapeutic and scientific approaches to neurological and psychiatric disorders have led to advanced technologies for neuromodulation, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and brainmachine interfaces (brain-computer interfaces; BMI/BCI). The interactive approaches between external environment and brain function via BMI/BCI may provide novel insights into "free will", as well as decision-making and action planning processes of human agents. Indeed, BMI/BCI instruments can already be applied in "real-time" translation systems linking brain activity and computer commands, such as computer cursor movement, spelling devices, and wheelchair control. Such advances enable human agents "interfaced" with computers to manipulate external instruments efficiently and to express one's basic intentions.

Cognitive Connections, Ethical Reflections: Investigating the Ethical Implications of Brain-Brain Interfaces

In the era of advancing neurotechnology, the emergence of brain-brain interfaces (BBIs) has opened up new frontiers in human communication and connectivity. BBIs are direct communication pathways between the brain of one subject and the brain of another subject that allow the users to extract and exchange information. Compared to traditional biomedical devices, brain-brain interfaces were originally more invasive between only two people; however, emerging research paves the way for new non-invasive interfaces between two or more brains. As this technology continues to grow with no current regulatory framework and cognitive connections between individuals become a tangible reality, a crucial question arises: What are the ethical implications of this remarkable technology? In this paper, we embark on a journey of ethical reflections, delving into the intricate considerations and moral dilemmas surrounding BBIs. We examine the fundamental values at stake, such as autonomy, privacy, and...

Conference Report: The Nour Foundation Georgetown University & Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University Symposium Series Technology, Neuroscience & the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality and Transcendence Part I: The Paradox of Neurotechnology 8 May 2009

Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine, 2009

This reviews the first of a tripartite symposia series dealing with novel neuroscientific technologies, the nature of consciousness and being, and the questions that arise from such interactions. The event took place on May 8 2009, at Georgetown University, and brought together ten leading figures on fields ranging from Neuroscience and Robotics to Philosophy, that commented on their research and provided ethical, moral and practical insight and perspectives into how these technologies can shape the future of neuroscientific and human development, as well as denoting the potential abuses and the best way to proceed about them.