Joshua May, "Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Introduction to Neuroethics

• Host: Btea Haj from the Critical Theory Channel.

• Guest: Dr. Joshua May, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

• Works Highlighted:

  • "Regard for Reason in the Moral Mind"

  • "Agency and Mental Disorder" (co-editor)

  • "Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science" (latest book)

• Relevance of Neuroethics:

  • Interdisciplinary nature, connecting medical ethics, neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Joshua May's Background

• Interests in science and ethics, especially concerning social change.

• Emphasizes the integration of ethics with medical and neuroscience due to local context: Birmingham's civil rights history.

• Committed to making philosophical concepts accessible to nonspecialists, particularly students in neuroscience.

Definition of Neuroethics

• Neuroethics: Study of ethical issues raised by the field of neuroscience.

  • Similar to bioethics but focuses on questions specifically related to the brain.

• Discusses the implications of neuroscience on traditional ethical questions, such as free will and moral responsibility.

Case Studies and Their Ethical Implications

Kevin's Case (Post-Surgery Changes)

• Background: Kevin underwent brain surgery to treat epilepsy; post-surgery, exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior.

• Ethical Questions:

  • Responsibility for actions post-neurosurgery: Could he be held accountable for crimes influenced by brain surgery?

  • Neuroscience's role in understanding moral accountability.

Herbert Weinstein Case

• Incident: Strangled wife during a heated argument and staged it as a suicide.

• Neurological Findings: Diagnosed with a cyst pressing on the frontal lobe, impacting decision-making and emotional regulation.

• Legal Outcome: Neuroimaging helped reduce his charge to manslaughter due to the evidence of neurological influence on behavior.

Free Will and Unconscious Influences

• Growing Consensus: Our decisions are profoundly influenced by unconscious processes.

  • Freudian concepts gaining validation through neuroscience.

  • Conscious decisions may not be as central as once believed.

• Philosophical Implications:

  • Suggests a need to reevaluate how we understand free will and personal responsibility.

  • Proposed analogy of conscious thoughts akin to a corporation's CEO, where many factors contribute to agency and action.

Concept of Dynamic Self

• Dynamic Self: The self can undergo significant changes while still maintaining identity.

• Comparison: Major life events (e.g., parenthood, trauma) fundamentally change values and decisions without losing one's core identity.

Gut Feelings and Decision-Making

• Skepticism Towards Gut Feelings: Historically dismissed as irrational, but scientific evidence suggests they are rooted in rational processes.

• Impact on Psychology: Patients with certain brain injuries show difficulty in decision-making due to loss of gut feelings, illustrating their importance in normal cognitive function.

• Cultural and Evolutionary Influences: Gut feelings are shaped by both personal experience and ancestral traditions, providing context to our moral decisions.

Motivated Reasoning vs. Biased Reasoning

• Motivated Reasoning: Reasoning shaped by desires and biases rather than objective evaluation.

  • E.g., Rationalizing poor decisions by attributing them to external justification.

• Impact on Science: Studies indicate that even neuroscience is subject to motivated reasoning, leading to potential ethical implications within research fields.

Neuromodulation and Ethical Concerns

• Neuromodulation: Interventions aimed at altering brain function (e.g., medication, brain stimulation).

  • Examples include deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease.

• Risks: Changes in personality or morality; ethical concerns over the extent to which one can modify a person's agency without consent.

• Case Study: Patients undergoing deep brain stimulation reported significant personality changes, highlighting the ethical implications of such interventions.

Accountability and Mental Disorders

• Complexity of Accountability: Simply having a mental disorder does not automatically exempt someone from accountability for actions.

  • Individual capabilities and agency should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, recognizing the spectrum of mental health conditions.

• Philosophical Stance: Belief in the necessity to evaluate personal agency regardless of mental health status on a situation-specific basis.

Conclusion

• Final Thoughts: Emphasizes a need for ethical scrutiny in neuroethics while remaining optimistic about the prospects of integrating neuroscience with philosophy.

• Future Project: Exploring moral implications of factory farming through the lens of motivated reasoning and ethical consumption.

Resources

• Website for "Neuroethics" Book: Contains summaries and discussion questions for each chapter to assist educators and students in understanding complex concepts.