Neuroethics and Cultural Diversity

There is a growing discussion concerning the relationship between neuroethical reflections and cultural diversity, which is among the most impactful factors in shaping neuroethics, both as a scientific discipline and a social enterprise. The impacts of culture on science and its public perception are particularly relevant to neuroethics, which aims to facilitate the creation of an interface between neuroscience and society at large. Time is ripe for neuroethics to review the influence of the culturally specific contexts from which it originated (i.e. North America and Western Europe) and to also include other cultural perspectives in the discussion.

This book illustrates a convergent approach among different cultures in identifying the main issues raised by neuroscience and emerging technologies. This should be taken as a starting point for advancing in the search for shared solutions, which are, if not definitive, at least sufficiently reliable to be translated into democratic deliberative processes.

Preface xiii
Michele FARISCO

Part 1 Neuroethics as a Field 1

Chapter 1 Examining the Ethics of Neuroscience in Contemporary Neuroethics 3
Cynthia FORLINI

1.1 Introduction 3

1.2 A brief history of neuroethics 4

1.3 Critiques of the ethics of neuroscience 9

1.4 Responses to critiques of the ethics of neuroscience 12

1.5 Blind spots in the ethics of neuroscience are opportunities for engagement 14

1.6 Conclusion 16

1.7 References 16

Chapter 2 Neuroscience of Ethics 21
Georg NORTHOFF

2.1 Introduction 21

2.2 Example I: a non-reductionistic and neuro-ecological model of brains 22

2.3 Example II: from the neural basis of sense of self to relational agency 27

2.4 Example III: enhancement of self – deep brain stimulation 30

2.5 Conclusion 32

2.6 References 33

Chapter 3 Fundamental Neuroethics 37
Kathinka EVERS

3.1 Science and ethics 37

3.2 Neuroethics 39

3.3 Fundamental versus applied neuroethics 40

3.4 Fundamental neuroethics as a key component of European research and innovation in the area of neuroscience 41

3.5 Conceptual analysis in fundamental neuroethics methodology 44

3.6 Fundamental neuroethics connecting neuroscience with "free will" and social structures 48

3.7 Conclusion 51

3.8 Acknowledgments 51

3.9 References 52

Chapter 4 Diversity in Neuroethics: Which Diversity and Why it Matters? 55
Eric RACINE and Abdou Simon SENGHOR

4.1 Background 55

4.2 Diversity and cultural diversity 57

4.3 Diversity, ethics and neuroethics' uneasy relationship with diversity 59

4.4 Should neuroethics take cultural diversity into account, and why? 65

4.5 Conclusion 68

4.6 References 70

Chapter 5 Neurofeminism in BCI and BBI Ethics as a Prelude to Political Neuroethics 77
Mai IBRAHIM and Veljko DUBLJEVIC

5.1 Introduction 78

5.2 Brain-to-brain interfaces 79

5.3 Neurosexism 81

5.4 Agential realism 85

5.5 Political perspective in neuroethics 89

5.6 Conclusion 91

5.7 References 91

Chapter 6 Neuroethics as an Anthropological Project 95
Fabrice JOTTERAND

6.1 Introduction 95

6.2 The nature of neuroethics 96

6.3 Neuroethics as an anthropological project 100

6.4 Protecting the brain and the mind 102

6.5 Concluding remarks 104

6.6 References 104

Part 2 Cultural Influences on Neuroethics 107

Chapter 7 Neuroethics and Culture 109
Arleen SALLES

7.1 Introduction 109

7.2 Neuroethics and the challenge of cultural diversity 111

7.3 Can neuroethics contribute to the discussion? 114

7.4 Concluding remarks and the way forward 119

7.5 Acknowledgments 120

7.6 References 120

Chapter 8 Globalization of Neuroethics: Rethinking the Brain and Mind "Global Market" 125
Karen HERRERA-FERRÁ

8.1 Introduction 125

8.2 Neuroethics within the global market: the "normality" problem 128

8.3 Neuroethics in a consumer country: a narrative from Mexico 132

8.4 Conclusion and future directions 136

8.5 References 137

Chapter 9 The Dilemma of Cross-Cultural Neuroethics 143
Laura SPECKER SULLIVAN and Karen S ROMMELFANGER

9.1 Framing 143

9.2 Benefits and aims of cross-cultural neuroethics 146

9.3 Potential forms of cross-cultural neuroethics 148

9.4 Challenges in cross-cultural neuroethics 151

9.5 Conclusion 154

9.6 References 155

Chapter 10 Neuroethics in Religion and Science: Hume's Law and Bodily Value 159
Denis LARRIVEE

10.1 Introduction 159

10.2 Contingency, autonomy and bodily value 165

10.3 Autonomy as a constituent ground of nature: a metaphysical composition 169

10.4 The personal subject and intrinsic corporal value 173

10.5 Conclusion 175

10.6 References 175

Chapter 11 How Would Neo-Confucians Value Moral Neuroenhancement? 179
Jie YIN

11.1 Moral neuroenhancement: the scenario and the conceptual challenge 180

11.2 How would neo-Confucians value moral neuroenhancement? 184

11.3 Concluding remarks: the complementary role of Chinese philosophy in applied ethics 190

11.4 References 191

Part 3 Illustrative Cases 193

Chapter 12 How Do Arabic Cultural and Ethical Perspectives Engage with New Neuro-technologies? A Scoping Review 195
Amal MATAR

12.1 Background 195

12.2 Methods 196

12.3 Results 197

12.4 Discussion 204

12.5 Conclusion 206

12.6 Acknowledgments 207

12.7 Appendix 207

12.8 References 212

Chapter 13 The Binary Illusion 217
Karin GRASENICK

13.1 A brain is still a brain 217

13.2 Imagine all the people living life in vain 218

13.3 This land is my land, from the asylum to the last island 219

13.4 Little bits of history repeating 221

13.5 What's good for me is good enough for you 222

13.6 They keep saying they have something for you 223

13.7 Sign of the times 226

13.8 Just microscopic cogs for a neuroethics plan (conclusion) 228

13.9 References 229

Chapter 14 What's Next? The Chilean Neuroprotection Initiative, in Light of the Historical Dynamics of Human Rights 235
Manuel GUERRERO

14.1 Introduction 235

14.2 Battling on the "last frontier": the Chilean neuroprotection legislation 236

14.3 The Chilean neuroprotection initiative, an unfinished project 241

14.4 References 246

Chapter 15 Interrogating the Culture of Human Exceptionalism: Animal Research and the Neuroethics of Animal Minds and Brains 249
L Syd M JOHNSON

15.1 Introduction 249

15.2 Brains, minds, consciousness and moral status 250

15.3 Chimeras and humanization: the overexamined problem 252

15.4 Already human-like: the overlooked problem 260

15.5 Implications: justice in neuroscientific research 260

15.6 Interrogating the anthropocentric culture and human exceptionalism of neuroethics 263

15.7 References 266

Chapter 16 Cultural Neuroethics in Practice – Human Rights Law and Brain Death 271
Jennifer A CHANDLER

16.1 Introduction 271

16.2 The concept of brain death 273

16.3 Objections to brain death: culture, religion and demographic minorities 275

16.4 What is at stake with the definition of death? 276

16.5 Legal responses to brain death objection 279

16.6 Accommodation of dissenting views 281

16.7 Conclusion 282

16.8 Acknowledgments 283

16.9 References 283

Chapter 17 Neuroscientific Research, Neurotechnologies and Minors: Ethical Aspects 287
Laura PALAZZANI

17.1 The importance of neuroscientific and neurotechnological research on minors 287

17.2 Ethical criteria of neuroscientific research on minors in the medical field 289

17.3 Research for neuro-enhancement purposes 298

17.4 Use of neurotechnologies in non-medical field without any research 300

17.5 Some conclusive reflections 301

17.6 References 302

Conclusion 305
Michele FARISCO

List of Authors 311

Index 315

Michele Farisco is a researcher at the Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics, Uppsala University, Sweden, and at Biogem Institute, Ariano Irpino (AV), Italy. He is the author of four books and has written several articles regarding posthumanism, ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genetics and neuroscience, consciousness, Artificial Intelligence, and neuroethics.