Neuroethics 2 (1):51-59 (2009)
Abstract |
Over the past few years, a number of authors in the new field of neuroethics have claimed that there is an ethical challenge presented by the likelihood that the findings of neuroscience will undermine many common assumptions about human agency and selfhood. These authors claim that neuroscience shows that human agents have no free will, and that our sense of being a “self” is an illusory construction of our brains. Furthermore, some commentators predict that our ethical practices of assigning moral blame, or of recognizing others as persons rather than as objects, will change as a result of neuroscientific discoveries that debunk free will and the concept of the self. I contest suggestions that neuroscience’s conclusions about the illusory nature of free will and the self will cause significant change in our practices. I argue that we have self-interested reasons to resist allowing neuroscience to determine core beliefs about ourselves.
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Keywords | Bioethics Free will Identity Neuroethics Self |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1007/s12152-008-9020-x |
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References found in this work BETA
Surveying Freedom: Folk Intuitions About Free Will and Moral Responsibility.Eddy Nahmias, Stephen Morris, Thomas Nadelhoffer & Jason Turner - 2005 - Philosophical Psychology 18 (5):561-584.
Is Incompatibilism Intuitive?Jason Turner, Eddy Nahmias, Stephen Morris & Thomas Nadelhoffer - 2006 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 73 (1):28-53.
Misunderstanding Science?: The Public Reconstruction of Science and Technology.Alan Irwin & Brian Wynne (eds.) - 1996 - Cambridge University Press.
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Citations of this work BETA
Not so Fast. On Some Bold Neuroscientific Claims Concerning Human Agency.Andrea Lavazza & Mario De Caro - 2010 - Neuroethics 3 (1):23-41.
The Supposed Obligation to Change One's Beliefs About Ethics Because of Discoveries in Neuroscience.Chris Kaposy - 2010 - American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 1 (4):23-30.
Experimental Evidence for Free Will Revisionism.Chris Weigel - 2013 - Philosophical Explorations 16 (1):31 - 43.
Neuroscience Evidence Should Be Incorporated Into Our Ethical Practices.Gidon Felsen, Louise Whiteley, Roland Nadler & Peter B. Reiner - 2010 - American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 1 (4):36-38.
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