Philosophy and Ethics of Enhancement
If there is a possibility to recover a brain with decreased functions, doesn’t it mean that it is also possible to improve the functions of a healthy brain?
The development in neuroscience opens up new possibilities for its technological application to medicine, pharmacy and engineering.
Medicines improving memory and concentration, interfaces making possible the direct interaction between and a computer (BMI), the development of robot suits based on technology decoding neural signals in the first place aim at the treatment of brain dysfunctions, but their second aim, in addition to that, is to widen and increase the brain human capacities, enhancement in other words.
However, even if enhancement technology can increase the brain abilities, it cannot be accepted unconditionally, because as an intervention into the grounds of our psyche it may alter the basic condition of men to live within a framework of limited abilities.
Consequently at the present moment we need to explore the problem of enhancement from philosophical and ethical angles.
(Provisionary schedule)
March 2008 First Study Meeting
May 2008 Second Study Meeting
June 2008 Symposium “Philosophy and Ethics of Enhancement”
August 2008 Third Study Meeting
October 2008 Warkshop
December 2008 Fourth Study Meeting
(Organizers)
Uehara Ryo
Nakazawa Eisuke