The Scientific Study of Consciousness Cannot and Should Not Be Morally Neutral

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21786089
AutoresMarya Mazor (0000-0002-3601-0644, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, autor de correspondencia), Simon Alexander Burns Brown (0000-0002-5606-6979, Johns Hopkins University), Anna Ciaunica (0000-0002-2708-8319, University of Lisbon), Athéna Demertzi (0000-0001-8021-3759, University of Liège), J J Fahrenfort (0000-0002-9025-3436, University of Amsterdam), Johannes Fahrenfort (University of Amsterdam), Nathan Faivre (0000-0001-6011-4921, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Jolien C Francken (0000-0001-5141-7672, Radboud University Nijmegen), Dominique Lamy (0000-0003-1525-7901, Tel Aviv University), Bigna Lenggenhager (0000-0003-0418-9931, University of Zurich), Michael Moutoussis (0000-0002-4751-0425, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging), Marie‐Christine Nizzi (0000-0002-2062-8992, Dartmouth College), Roy Salomon (0000-0002-6688-617X, Bar-Ilan University), David Soto (0000-0002-5450-5974, Ikerbasque), Tania Stein (0000-0002-8484-0933, University of Amsterdam), Nitzan Lubianiker (0000-0002-6458-3765, Tel Aviv University)
Año2023
Volumen18
Número3
Páginas535-543
Fecha de publicación2023-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPerspectives on Psychological Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1745-6916 • E-ISSN: 1745-6924
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17456916221110222
PMID36170496
OpenAlexW4297513155
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas67

A target question for the scientific study of consciousness is how dimensions of consciousness, such as the ability to feel pain and pleasure or reflect on one’s own experience, vary in different states and animal species. Considering the tight link between consciousness and moral status, answers to these questions have implications for law and ethics. Here we point out that given this link, the scientific community studying consciousness may face implicit pressure to carry out certain research programs or interpret results in ways that justify current norms rather than challenge them. We show that because consciousness largely determines moral status, the use of nonhuman animals in the scientific study of consciousness introduces a direct conflict between scientific relevance and ethics—the more scientifically valuable an animal model is for studying consciousness, the more difficult it becomes to ethically justify compromises to its well-being for consciousness research. Finally, in light of these considerations, we call for a discussion of the immediate ethical corollaries of the body of knowledge that has accumulated and for a more explicit consideration of the role of ideology and ethics in the scientific study of consciousness

Consciousness · Epistemology · Ideology · Pleasure · Political science · Politics · Social consciousness · Animal testing and alternatives · Law · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology