Philosophical Neuroethics: A Personalist Approach
Volume 1: Foundations
by James Beauregard
Neuroethics is a theoretical and
practical discipline that considers the many ethical issues that arise in
neuroscience. From its inception, the field has sought to develop an ethical
vision from within the confines of science, a task that is both misguided and,
in the end, impossible. Providing a solid theoretical foundation for
neuroethics means looking to other sources, most specifically to philosophy. In
this groundbreaking work, the author examines the current underpinnings of
neuroethical thinking and finds them inadequate to the task of neuroethics – to
think ethically about persons, technology and society.
Grounded in
the physicalist and deterministic presuppositions of contemporary science, and
drawing on utilitarian thought, neuroethics as currently conceived lacks the
ability to develop a robust and adequate notion of persons and of ethics.
Philosophical Neuroethics examines the historical reasons for this state of
affairs, for the purpose of proposing a more viable alternative – drawing on
the tradition of personalism for a more adequate metaphysical, epistemological,
anthropological and ethical vision of the human person and of ethics that can
serve as a solid foundation for the theory and practice of neuroethical
decision making as it touches on the neurologic and psychiatric care of
individuals, our philosophy of technology and the social implications of
neuroscience that touch on public policy, neurotechnology, the justice system
and the military.
Drawing on the
personalist philosophical tradition that emerged in the twentieth century in
the works of Mounier, Maritain, Guardini, Wojtyla, and the Modern Ontological
Personalism of Juan Manuel Burgos, Philosophical Neuroethics brings to light
the limitations of contemporary neuroethical thinking and sets forth a comprehensive vision of the human person capable of interacting with the
contemporary questions raised by neuroscience and technology.
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