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53Ethical Aspects of BCI Technology: What Is the State of the Art?Philosophies 5 (4): 31. 2020.Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) technology is a promising research area in many domains. Brain activity can be interpreted through both invasive and non-invasive monitoring devices, allowing for novel, therapeutic solutions for individuals with disabilities and for other non-medical applications. However, a number of ethical issues have been identified from the use of BCI technology. In this paper, we review the academic discussion of the ethical implications of BCI technology in the last five ye…Read more
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55The Authenticity of Machine-Augmented Human Intelligence: Therapy, Enhancement, and the Extended MindNeuroethics 14 (2): 283-290. 2020.Ethical analyses of biomedical human enhancement often consider the issue of authenticity — to what degree can the accomplishments of those utilizing biomedical enhancements be considered authentic or worthy of praise? As research into Brain-Computer Interface technology progresses, it may soon be feasible to create a BCI device that enhances or augments natural human intelligence through some invasive or noninvasive biomedical means. In this article we will review currently existing BCI technol…Read more
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30Toward Implementing the ADC Model of Moral Judgment in Autonomous VehiclesScience and Engineering Ethics 26 (5): 2461-2472. 2020.Autonomous vehicles —and accidents they are involved in—attest to the urgent need to consider the ethics of artificial intelligence. The question dominating the discussion so far has been whether we want AVs to behave in a ‘selfish’ or utilitarian manner. Rather than considering modeling self-driving cars on a single moral system like utilitarianism, one possible way to approach programming for AI would be to reflect recent work in neuroethics. The agent–deed–consequence model :3–20, 2014a, Beha…Read more
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13The Principle of Autonomy and Behavioural Variant Frontotemporal DementiaJournal of Bioethical Inquiry 17 (2): 271-282. 2020.Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is characterized by an absence of obvious cognitive impairment and presence of symptoms such as disinhibition, social inappropriateness, personality changes, hyper-sexuality, and hyper-orality. Affected individuals do not feel concerned enough about their actions to be deterred from violating social norms, and their antisocial behaviours are most likely caused by the neurodegenerative processes in the frontal and anterior temporal lobes. BvFTD …Read more
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11Pediatric Neuro-enhancement, Best Interest, and Autonomy: A Case of Normative ReversalIn Saskia K. Nagel (ed.), Shaping Children: Ethical and Social Questions That Arise When Enhancing the Young, Springer Verlag. pp. 199-212. 2019.The debate on “cognitive enhancement” has moved from discussions about enhancement in adults to enhancement in children and adolescents. Similar to positions expressed in the adult context, some have argued that pediatric cognitive enhancement is acceptable and even laudable. However, the implications differ between the adult and the pediatric contexts. For example, in the debate over cognitive enhancement in adults, i.e., those who have legal majority, respect for autonomy demands that personal…Read more
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98AI Assistants and the Paradox of Internal AutomaticityNeuroethics 13 (3): 303-310. 2019.What is the ethical impact of artificial intelligence assistants on human lives, and specifically how much do they threaten our individual autonomy? Recently, as part of forming an ethical framework for thinking about the impact of AI assistants on our lives, John Danaher claims that if the external automaticity generated by the use of AI assistants threatens our autonomy and is therefore ethically problematic, then the internal automaticity we already live with should be viewed in the same way.…Read more
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30Neuroconsumerism and Comprehensive NeuroethicsAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 10 (4): 185-187. 2019.
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18TDCS for Memory Enhancement: Analysis of the Speculative Aspects of Ethical IssuesFrontiers in Human Neuroscience 10. 2017.
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14Psychiatric Neuroethics—Studies in Research and PracticeWalterGlannonOxford University Press, 2019. 408 pp. ISBN 978‐0‐19‐875885‐3, $44.95 (review)Bioethics 33 (8): 974-975. 2019.Bioethics, EarlyView.
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21Toward a Legitimate Public Policy on Cognition-Enhancement DrugsAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 3 (3): 29-33. 2012.This article proposes a model for regulating use of cognition enhancement drugs for nontherapeutic purposes. Using the method of reflective equilibrium, the author starts from the considered judgment of many citizens that treatments are obligatory and permissible while enhancements are not, and with the application of general principles of justice explains why this is the case. The author further analyzes and refutes three reasons that some influential authors in the field of neuroethics might h…Read more
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78The Impact of a Landmark Neuroscience Study on Free Will: A Qualitative Analysis of Articles Using Libet and Colleagues' MethodsAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 9 (1): 29-41. 2018.
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26Autonomy is Political, Pragmatic, and Postmetaphysical: A Reply to Open Peer Commentaries on “Autonomy in Neuroethics”American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 7 (4). 2016.
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38The ADC of Moral Judgment: Opening the Black Box of Moral Intuitions With Heuristics About Agents, Deeds, and ConsequencesAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 5 (4): 3-20. 2014.This article proposes a novel integrative approach to moral judgment and a related model that could explain how unconscious heuristic processes are transformed into consciously accessible moral intuitions. Different hypothetical cases have been tested empirically to evoke moral intuitions that support principles from competing moral theories. We define and analyze the types of intuitions that moral theories and studies capture: those focusing on agents (A), deeds (D), and consequences (C). The i…Read more
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34“Clock Shock,” Motivational Enhancement, and Performance Maintenance in Adderall UseAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 4 (1): 13-14. 2013.
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32Autonomy in Neuroethics: Political and Not MetaphysicalAmerican Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 4 (4): 44-51. 2013.
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28A single cognitivw heruistic process meets the complexity of domain-specific moral heuristicsBehavioral and Brain Sciences 37 (5): 487-488. 2014.The inherence heuristic offers modest insights into the complex nature of both the is–oughttension in moral reasoning and moral reasoning per se, and does not reflect the complexity of domain-specific moral heuristics. Formal and general in nature, we contextualize the process described as “inherence heuristic” in a web of domain-specific heuristics.
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66Media Portrayal of a Landmark Neuroscience Experiment on Free WillScience and Engineering Ethics 23 (4): 989-1007. 2017.The concept of free will has been heavily debated in philosophy and the social sciences. Its alleged importance lies in its association with phenomena fundamental to our understandings of self, such as autonomy, freedom, self-control, agency, and moral responsibility. Consequently, when neuroscience research is interpreted as challenging or even invalidating this concept, a number of heated social and ethical debates surface. We undertook a content analysis of media coverage of Libet’s et al.’s …Read more
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24To Disclose or Not to Disclose: When Fear of Nocebo Effects Infringes Upon AutonomyAmerican Journal of Bioethics 17 (6): 50-52. 2017.
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62Moral Enhancement Meets Normative and Empirical Reality: Assessing the Practical Feasibility of Moral Enhancement NeurotechnologiesBioethics 31 (5): 338-348. 2017.Moral enhancement refers to the possibility of making individuals and societies better from a moral standpoint. A fierce debate has emerged about the ethical aspects of moral enhancement, notably because steering moral enhancement in a particular direction involves choosing amongst a wide array of competing options, and these options entail deciding which moral theory or attributes of the moral agent would benefit from enhancement. Furthermore, the ability and effectiveness of different neurotec…Read more
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74Prohibition or Coffee Shops: Regulation of Amphetamine and Methylphenidate for Enhancement Use by Healthy AdultsAmerican Journal of Bioethics 13 (7): 23-33. 2013.This article analyzes appropriate public policies for enhancement use of two most important stimulant drugs: Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts). The author argues that appropriate regulation of cognition enhancement drugs cannot be a result of a general discussion on cognitive enhancements as such, but has to be made on a case-by-case basis. Starting from the recently proposed taxation approach to cognition enhancement drugs, the author analyzes available, moderatel…Read more
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39Cognitive Enhancement: Ethical and Policy Implications in International Perspectives (edited book)Oxford University Press USA. 2016.There is a growing literature in neuroethics dealing with the problem of cognitive neuroenhancement for healthy adults. However, discussions on this topic have tended to focus on abstract theoretical positions while concrete policy proposals and detailed models are scarce. Furthermore, discussions tend to rely solely on data from the US, while international perspectives are mostly neglected. Therefore, there is a need for a volume that deals with cognitive enhancement comprehensively in three im…Read more
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107Cognitive Enhancement, Rational Choice and JustificationNeuroethics 6 (1): 179-187. 2012.This paper examines the claims in the debate on cognitive enhancement in neuroethics that society wide pressure to enhance can be expected in the near future. The author uses rational choice modeling to test these claims and proceeds with the analysis of proposed types of solutions. The discourage use, laissez-faire and prohibition types of policy are scrutinized for effectiveness, legitimacy and associated costs. Special attention is given to the moderately liberal discourage use policy (and th…Read more
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34Response to Open Peer Commentaries on “Prohibition or Coffee Shops: Regulation of Amphetamine and Methylphenidate for Enhancement Use by Healthy Adults”American Journal of Bioethics 14 (1). 2014.In my target article, I analyzed available information and policy options for the two of the most commonly used cognitive enhancement (CE) drugs: Adderall and Ritalin. I concluded that for all forms of amphetamine, including Adderall, and for instant-release forms of methylphenidate, any form of sale beyond prescription for therapeutic purposes needs to be prohibited, while some form of a taxation approach and the economic disincentives model (EDM) in particular could be an option for public pol…Read more
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38Porous or Contextualized Autonomy? Knowledge Can Empower Autonomous Moral AgentsAmerican Journal of Bioethics 16 (2): 48-50. 2016.
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18Lost in Interpretation: Autonomy and What Patients Tell Versus What Is InferredAmerican Journal of Bioethics 15 (9): 28-30. 2015.The authors interpret the data to mean that patients think that their physicians should make relevant decisions in Learning Health System based trials, and label that as being of 'utmost importance'. However, the patients themselves (in the excerpts provided) emphasize that trust in physicians is instrumental for obtaining protection of patient's bests interests (which seems to be of utmost importance for patients). Furthermore, the perceived bias regarding outcome certainty deserves more discus…Read more
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3321 Selected Abstracts from the Montreal Neuroethics Conference for Young ResearchersNeuroethics 9 (2): 137-145. 2016.The organizers and members of the international abstract review committee conducted anonymous review of all abstracts from the conference for merit based on relevance, originality, strength and clarity of methods and analyses, and overall contribution to the field of neuroethics. Here, we proudly introduce the collection of 21 top-ranked abstracts for the poster contest.
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54Nudging Without Ethical Fudging: Clarifying Physician Obligations to Avoid Ethical CompromiseAmerican Journal of Bioethics 13 (6): 18-19. 2013.In the article “Nudging and Informed Consent”, Cohen argues that the use of “nudging” by physicians in the clinical encounter may be ethically warranted because it results in an informed consent where obligations for beneficence and respect for autonomy are both met. However, the author's overenthusiastic support for nudging and his quick dismissal of shared decision-making leads him to assume that “soft” manipulation is un-problematic and that “wisdom” on the side of medical professionals will …Read more
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40Neurostimulation Devices for Cognitive Enhancement: Toward a Comprehensive Regulatory FrameworkNeuroethics 8 (2): 115-126. 2014.There is mounting evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation devices - transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation could be used for cognitive enhancement. However, the regulatory environment surrounding such uses of stimulation devices is less clear than for stimulant drugs—a fact that has already been commercially exploited by several companies. In this paper, the mechanism of action, uses and adverse effects of non-invasive neurostimulation devices are revi…Read more
University of Stuttgart
Alumnus, 2014
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Normative Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |