Abstract
Neuroethics has rapidly developed as a theoretically rich and practically significant field at the intersection of brain science, social science, philosophy, and law. This chapter is an analysis and discussion of the most debated issues in neuroethics as it has evolved over the last 15 years. I take the opportunity to examine whether or not a foundational claim about the duality of neuroethics (i.e., the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics, as well as their interaction) has been a feature of these debates. After noting the most important events in the development of this field, I examine ethical issues in four key areas that form the core of neuroethics research and discourse: (1) neuroimaging, with a focus on incidental findings, brain privacy, and the impact of imaging on normative judgments of moral and criminal responsibility; (2) functional neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders, focused on capacity to consent and patient autonomy; (3) cognitive and moral enhancement; and (4) chronic disorders of consciousness, with particular attention paid to how prognostic uncertainty can impact life-sustaining care. In the case of point four, these issues should be framed by the question of what is in the best interests of patients with these disorders, which is difficult to know given their neurologically compromised condition. In the concluding section, I speculate on some of the new ethical questions that may arise from advances in neuroscience in the future and how these advances may shape the continued evolution of debate in neuroethics.
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Notes
- 1.
I am grateful to Eric Racine and John Aspler for many helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this chapter.
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Glannon, W. (2017). The Evolution of Neuroethics. In: Racine, E., Aspler, J. (eds) Debates About Neuroethics. Advances in Neuroethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54651-3_3
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