New publication by Sebastian Sattler in the interdisciplinary journal Neuroethics on neuroenhancement
Veröffentlicht am 1. März 2022, 15:50 Uhr
Sattler, S., Jacobs, E., Singh,
I., Whetham, D., Bárd, I., Moreno, J., Galeazzi, G., Allansdottir, A.
(2022, online first): Neuroenhancements in the Military: A Mixed-Method
Pilot Study on Attitudes of Staff Officers to Ethics and Rules. Neuroethics.
Abstract
Utilising
science and technology to maximize human performance is often an
essential feature of military activity. This can often be focused on
mission success rather than just the welfare of the individuals
involved. This tension has the potential to threaten the autonomy of
soldiers and military physicians around the taking or administering of
enhancement neurotechnologies (e.g., pills, neural implants, and
neuroprostheses). The Hybrid Framework was proposed by academic
researchers working in the U.S. context and comprises “rules” for
military neuroenhancement (e.g., ensuring transparency and maintaining
dignity of the warfighter). Integrating traditional bioethical
perspectives with the unique requirements of the military environment,
it has been referenced by military/government agencies tasked with
writing official ethical frameworks. Our two-part investigation explored
the ethical dimensions of military neuroenhancements with military
officers – those most likely to be making decisions in this area in the
future. In three workshops, structured around the Hybrid Framework,
we explored what they thought about the ethical issues of enhancement
neurotechnologies. From these findings, we conducted a survey (N = 332)
to probe the extent of rule endorsement. Results show high levels of
endorsement for a warfighter’s decision-making autonomy, but lower
support for the view that enhanced warfighters would pose a danger to
society after service. By examining the endorsement of concrete
decision-making guidelines, we provide an overview of how military
officers might, in practice, resolve tensions between competing values
or higher-level principles. Our results suggest that the military
context demands a recontextualisation of the relationship between
military and civilian ethics.
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