Technologies that were considered previously as belonging to the realm of science-fiction could soon become real options as a result of the dramatic development of Neurosciences of the last 20 years. To cite just a few examples:
modifying our moods or intellectual abilities using drugs or other devices ("neuro-enhancement")
repairing the brain using neural transplants (neural tissue, stem cells)
using brain-machine interfaces to read our minds, transfer memories, replace lost functions
merging the brain and computers, as proposed by transhumanists
These technology-based innovations raise obvious ethical questions. Should we do what we are technically able to do? Is the use of these tools compatible with our current moral values, should we re-evaluate these values? What are the ethical limits we can accept as individuals and/or as a society? These broad interrogations are of utmost importance when dealing with the brain, seat of our personality and humanity. Conversely, new data on brain functioning interrogate our conception of morality, human responsibility and free will.
Watch a video on what is neuroethics here: https://vimeo.com/165270190?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=29220
PROGRAMME :
9h - 9h15 Jean-Paul Herman : Introduction
9h15 - 10h15 Eric Racine (Montreal) : Ethics of neuroenhancement: A view from philosophical pragmatism