Wexler Anna, Specker Sullivan Laura
University of Pennsylvania.
Fordham University.
AJOB Neurosci. 2023 Oct-Dec;14(4):388-399. doi: 10.1080/21507740.2021.2001078. Epub 2021 Dec 1.
As early-career neuroethicists, we come to the field of neuroethics at a unique moment: we are well-situated to consider nearly two decades of neuroethics scholarship and identify challenges that have persisted across time. But we are also looking squarely ahead, embarking on the next generation of exciting and productive neuroethics scholarship. In this article, we both reflect backwards and turn our gaze forward. First, we highlight criticisms of neuroethics, both from scholars within the field and outside it, that have focused on speculation and lack of skepticism; the dearth of consideration of broader social issues such as justice and equality, both with regard to who speaks for neuroethics as a field and who benefits from its recommendations and findings; and the insufficient focus on the practical impact of our ethical work. Second, we embrace the concept of "translational neuroethics" to outline a vision for neuroethics that is integrated, inclusive, and impactful. Integration can help us identify more pertinent, real-world issues, and move away from speculation; inclusivity can help ensure that the questions we attend to are not merely relevant to a single subgroup but aim toward just distribution of benefits; and impact can help us think beyond guidelines and recommendations to focus on implementation. Our goal is for this call to action to help shape neuroethics into a discipline that develops rigorous research agendas through relationships with interdisciplinary partners, that is broadly inclusive and attends to issues beyond novel neurotechnologies, and that is devoted to the translation of scholarship into practice.
作为初入职场的神经伦理学家，我们在一个独特的时刻进入神经伦理学领域：我们所处的位置很好，能够审视近二十年来的神经伦理学学术成果，并识别出长期存在的挑战。但我们也正直视前方，开启下一代令人兴奋且富有成效的神经伦理学学术研究。在本文中，我们既回顾过去，也展望未来。首先，我们强调对神经伦理学的批评，这些批评既有来自该领域内部学者的，也有来自外部学者的，它们聚焦于推测和缺乏怀疑态度；在诸如正义和平等这类更广泛的社会问题上缺乏考量，这涉及到谁能代表神经伦理学这一领域发声，以及谁能从其建议和研究结果中受益；以及对我们伦理工作的实际影响关注不足。其次，我们接受“转化神经伦理学”的概念，以勾勒出一个综合、包容且有影响力的神经伦理学愿景。综合性有助于我们识别更相关的现实世界问题，并摆脱推测；包容性有助于确保我们关注的问题不仅与单个亚群体相关，而且旨在实现利益的公正分配；影响力有助于我们超越指导方针和建议，专注于实施。我们的目标是，这一行动呼吁能有助于将神经伦理学塑造成为一门通过与跨学科伙伴建立关系来制定严谨研究议程的学科，一门广泛包容且关注新型神经技术之外问题的学科，一门致力于将学术成果转化为实践的学科。
