How cognitive enhancement can change our duties

Journal article (2014)
Department
Biomechanical Engineering (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2014 Santoni de Sio, Faulmüller and Vincent. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
DOI: https://doi.org/doi:10.3389/fnsys.2014.00131
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Published Date

17-07-2014

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Source:

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 8, 2014

Faculty

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Department

Biomechanical Engineering

Abstract

This theoretical paper draws the scientific community’s attention to how pharmacological cognitive enhancement may impact on society and law. Namely, if safe, reliable, and effective techniques to enhance mental performance are eventually developed, then this may under some circumstances impose new duties onto people in high-responsibility professions—e.g., surgeons or pilots—to use such substances to minimize risks of adverse outcomes or to increase the likelihood of good outcomes. By discussing this topic, we also hope to encourage scientists to bring their expertise to bear on this current public debate.