We define “enhancement” as an
uncommon and unusual improvement in the individual’s capabilities or traits.
Neuroenhancement is achieved through the use of drugs or other brain
technologies and is expressed in the enhanced individual in an uncommon
improvement of mental capacities, cognitive performance, and behavioral
functioning, such as memory, learning ability, creativity, alertness, impulse
control, and so on.
Selected ethical issues:
- Influence
of neuroenhancement on the enhanced individual’s personal identity and
authenticity.
- Unfair
competition (granting a relative advantage to neuroenhanced individuals),
social pressure to enhance, discrimination (in employment, academia, and so on)
against the non-enhanced.
- Devaluation
of human agency and human life, because of the availability of shortcuts to
accomplishment that lack moral implications and weaken the need for effort.
- The link
between enhanced cognitive capabilities and personal and legal liability
(hyper-capacity and hyper-agency).
- Using
brain technologies to enhance memory.
Sources:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enhancement/
http://www.neuroethicssociety.org/what-is-neuroethics
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1588038