BID300

This course is a bidisciplinary survey of central philosophical and psychological concerns in the new field of neuroethics. Personal, ethical, legal and social implications of contemporary neuroscience are explored. Two categories of ethical work are addressed in this course. The "neuroscience of ethics" addresses the neuroscientific understanding of brain processes that may underlie moral judgments and behavior. The "ethics of neuroscience" addresses the potential impacts of advances in neuroscience may have on social, moral, and philosophical ideas and institutions as well as the ethical principles that should guide brain research, treatment of brain disorders, and cognitive enhancement. Special emphasis will be placed on the ways in which neuroscience might impact our sense of self and personal responsibility, and our understanding of the structure of moral judgments. Students will learn the basics of neuroanatomy and neuroscientific methodologies as well as philosophical and psychological discourse concerned with issues of free will, autonomy, responsibility, privacy, and identity.

Undergraduate Academic Level

AOK-Cognitv/Behav. Sci (CBS), AOK-Inquiry Ethics Just. (IEJ), Bidisciplinary Course (BID)

2011-01-01