To enhance or not?
The hot new field of neuroethics is a sub-field of bioethics or biomedical ethics where debates pertaining to enhancement of the brain by pharmacological or technological means are brought into a philosophical framework. While neuroethics is not centered solely on the issue of cognitive enhancement, the questions arising in lieu of enhancement of the brain seem to be the most interesting to address.
Centers dedicated to the study of neuroethics are beginning to crop up throughout the world perhaps most notably with the recent opening of the Centre for Neuroethics at Oxford University in England. Led by Julian Savulescu, the Centre for Neuroethics at Oxford is likely to become one of the most prominent. In the United States, the University of Pennsylvania has been one of the leading institutions examining the new field by attracting both neuroscientists and philosophers to help shed light on some of the key issues involved (see http://neuroethics.upenn.edu).
The stakes are high and public policy decisions will likely be made in the near future to address the increasing interest in cognitive enhancement to improve work performance, scholastic aptitudes, and memory deficits as we age. Many scientists (see Nature article mentioned above) contend that cognitive enhancers should be allowed to be responsibly used by healthy adults to help improve their neurochemistry or to enhance the functioning of their brains. Julian Savulescu of Oxford contends that human beings may be ethically compelled to utilize smart drugs and cognitive enhancers to help promote a state of “well-being” and perhaps to advance one’s lot in life.
So, the questions are just now beginning to be raised. Should healthy adults be permitted to take drugs or brain enhancements designed for those with Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit disorder (ADD), or neurodegenerative conditions? Ought citizens of a free country or state have the right to use such enhancements to improve their mental performance? Do cognitive enhancement drugs help one achieve a state of better overall “well-being” because the quality of their lives have increased due to heightened perceptions and a broader capacity to think? While the questions are just now beginning to be raised, we are seemingly just at the start of a new revolution in cognitive enhancement technologies that may alter the contours of human life.