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The preceding decade has witnessed tremendous progress in clinical as well as theoretical neuroscience. In its wake, powerful new instruments of neuromodulation acting directly on the brain have been developed: potent neuro-pharmaceuticals, deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, various methods of neurotransplantation, central neural prostheses, and others. However, few areas of scientific development seem to exhibit as close a connection between dreams of progress and nightmares of disaster as contemporary neuroscience. This Janus-faced character relates to the core function of the brain as the "organ of the mind". Methods of intervening in the brain easily draw the suspicion of possibly altering fundamental features of personhood, thus posing a threat to preconditions of human dignity and to the normative structure of our societies. This suspicion has been fuelled by the discovery that most of the newly developed neurotherapeutic instruments might also be used for purposes of enhancement of certain mental features. "Mind doping" is a populist slogan at hand, suggesting a deprecatory parallel to the practice of doping in sports.
The present book subjects the whole range of questions associated with these problems to a thorough exploration. Extensive state-of-the-art accounts of the relevant clinical and theoretical neurosciences are followed by an in-depth philosophical analysis of the problems of personal identity and a comprehensive disquisition on legal and ethical questions posed by present and foreseeable future practices of neuroenhancement. A concluding chapter presents the study’s main results as recommendations, addressing clinical practitioners and researchers in the field as well as to politicians, legislators, law courts, philosophers, lawyers, and anybody fascinated by or concerned about the dawning era of intervening in the brain.
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Ethics of Science and Technology Assessment Volume 29 Book Series of the Europäische Akademie zur Erforschung von Folgen wissenschaftlich-technischer Entwicklungen Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler GmbH edited by Carl Friedrich Gethmann
R. Merkel · G. Boer · J. Fegert · T. Galert · D. Hartmann · B. Nuttin · S. Rosahl
Intervening in the Brain Changing Psyche and Society With 11 Figures
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Series Editor Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Carl Friedrich Gethmann Europäische Akademie GmbH Wilhelmstr. 56, 53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany On Behalf of the Authors Professor Dr. Reinhard Merkel Universität Hamburg Fakultät für Rechtswissenschaft Hamburg, Germany Desk Editor Friederike Wütscher Europäische Akademie GmbH Wilhelmstr. 56, 53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007924217
ISSN 1860-4803 ISBN 978-3-540-46476-1 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer is a part of Springer Science+Business Media springer.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007 The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Typesetting: Köllen-Druck+Verlag GmbH, Bonn + Berlin Production: LE-TEX Jelone