Cognitive and moral enhancement Flashcards
What are some neuroenhancement drug categories (3)
STIMULANTS:
1. Purines and methylanthine derivatives (Adenosine receptor antagonist)
- E.G. Caffeine, theophylline, theobromine
2. Phenylethlamine derivative (ADHD treatment)
- Symptoms include euphoria, increased self-confidence and activity, reduced fatigue and drowsiness, motor restlessness
3. Modafinil (narcolepsy treatment)
- Symptoms include increased attention and vigilance, reduced response time, fatigue, mood, and emotional processing
- Soft stimuli can be bought (E.G. caffeine, nicotine, energy drinks) while hard stimuli can’t (E.G. prescription drugs)
Define cognitve/neuro enhancement
Neuro enhancement are interventions that help improve the performance of some cognitive subsystems in an individual. For example, their capacity to stay focus, learn, remember, and control their mood is increased.
What is the definition of health according to the WHO (1) and why is it a bad definition (4)?
WHO: Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
CONS:
1. Changes in disease patterns (acute to chronic conditions) ensures an individual is never healthy in this definition.
2. The term “complete” is not operational nor measurable
3. Individuals who have coped with the chronic condition or disability and have good quality of life are still labelled as unhealthy.
4. Definition medicalizes society
When would an individual consider using neuroenhancements (1) and what improvements/symptoms could it make on the individual (6)?
An individual may consider using neuroenhancements when they can’t meet the demands of the society, whether it be work, school, or private life.
Improvements: Increase cogntive performance; sleep reduction; mood enhancement; improvement of executive functions; remove “hardship of learning”; advantage job market
What potential impacts do neuroenhancement have on the society? (4)
- Overall increase in productivity and efficiency
- Increased societal competition
- Decreased resting periods
- Higher living standards
What are the ethics surrounding cognitive enhancements? (6)
- Authenticity <- Does using the drug make you a different person? Who is the true self?
- Coercion <- Once you begin using the enhancement, you can never stop. (response to competition, demand and consequences)
- Distributive justice <- Use will increase societal inequality
A). proritarianism; who gets the drug first? B). baseline effect; effect much more effective for those with disability. - Fairness <- The achievements made by an individual diminishes in value
- Hubris <- Taking the enhancement is a morally defective attitude that under-appreciates gifts of human life
- Cognitive liberty <- Individuals are able to determine their own cognitive states and accept the risks that come with it
What is the shape of the drug efficacy and concentration graph for pharmacological enhancements? What does this model mean for between individuals and within an individual?
The baseline dependency and the effects of drugs modulating cogntion is shaped like an inverted U. This means that the individual can only experience the greatest effect from the drug at specific drug concentrations. Any more increased or decreased drug concentrations from ideal will lead to lowered therapeutic effect. Furthermore, there are individual differences between individuals. These individual differences cause the level of therapeutic effect and concentration of drug required to reach the effect is different between individuals.
Where do people obtain their pharmacological enhancements? (4)
- Diversion <- from friends, peers, familiy members (~50%-90%)
- Independent supplier
- Pharamacy: prescription OR without presecription O.o
- E-commerce
- Global market is anticipated to be $128 billion in 2023
What are some neuroenhancement (neuro)technologies (4) and what are risks do they possess?
Technologies:
1. Transcranial magentic stimulation (rTMS)
2. Transcranila direct current stimulation (tDCS)
3. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
4. Low intensity electric (tES) stimulation
Risks:
1. Advese effects
2. Neurohype (neurotechnology that is overhyped but has littlle practical use or benefit to society)
3. Direct to consumer (These are NOT medical devices but helping devices, they do not abide by the strict criteria placed in medical devices therefore potential harm can occur)
What are moral bioenhancements? What are some potential benefits of taking this?
Medical, pharmacological, or biotechnological means that can increase the moral value of an individual’s action or character.
(individual benefits) Increase in empathic concern, personal responsibility, social norm compliance, respect for societal and global fairness, empathy and comapssion for distant individuals, moral behaviour (societal benefits)
What are the four pillars in the biomedical ethics?
- Autonomy
— Individual is informed and have voluntary decisions
— Application of positive and negative duty - Nonmaleficence
— Do no harm to subject
— Application of negative duty - Justice
— Equal respect; equity; fairness; distributive justice - Beneficence
— Every action is done to benefit or in the best interest of subject
— Application of postive duty
What are some forms of discriminations that can be exasperated by enhancements? 92)
Gender inequity <- due to lack of access or coercion
Ableism <- Use of enhancements pushes the value for independence and productivity, therefore propagate ableist social structures
What are some considerations to make for moral enhancements?
Virtue ethics <- The workload that accompanies a task to gain the desired reward
— Should subjects be able to use enhancements even though they didn’t put in the effort?
The people who need to take the moral enhancements are less willing to take the drug opposed to those who don’t require the drug
