Neuroenhancement: an Ethical Analysis

Advancements in neuroscience have made it possible to markedly reduce human suffering. Various neuroenhancement methods find their applications not only among people afflicted with impairments of the nervous system, but also individuals without clearly defined abnormalities. Such state calls for an ethical examination because the brain not only controls one´s actions and thoughts, but defines one´s identity, as well. Numerous scientists focus on the brain to learn more about the mind and they do so in terms of mechanistic details, without giving much thought to other factors influencing brain function. A mechanistic model of the mind can be useful in our pursuit of knowledge because of its simplicity, but study of the mind, as well as any ethical examination of neuroenhancement, ought to be conducted within social context, which implies that due attention must be paid not only to the fruits of the experimental sciences, but also those of the humanities.