Neuroethics: a modern context for ethics in neuroscience

Judy Illes, Stephanie J. Bird
2006 Trends in Neurosciences  
Neuroethics, a recently modernized field at the intersection of bioethics and neuroscience, is founded on centuries of discussion of the ethical issues associated with mind and behavior. Broadly defined, neuroethics is concerned with ethical, legal and social policy implications of neuroscience, and with aspects of neuroscience research itself. Advances in neuroscience increasingly challenge long-held views of the self and the individual's relationship to society. Neuroscience also has led to
more » ... novations in clinical medicine that have not only therapeutic but also non-therapeutic dimensions that extend well beyond previously charted boundaries. The exponential increase in crossdisciplinary research, the commercialization of cognitive neuroscience, the impetus for training in ethics, and the increased attention being paid to public understanding of science all illuminate the important role of neuroethics in neuroscience.
doi:10.1016/j.tins.2006.07.002 pmid:16859760 pmcid:PMC1656950 fatcat:j6vfvbgml5h27hq44bznqfgqju