Neuroethics for Fantasyland or for the Clinic? The Limitations of Speculative Ethics

Bibliographic Data

ID21598403
AuthorsSven Ove Hansson (0000-0003-0071-3919), Oskar Hansson (0000-0001-8467-7286, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume29
Issue4
Pages630-641
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-1801 • E-ISSN: 1469-2147
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0963180120000377
PMID32892771
OpenAlexW3083979709
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited32

What purpose can be served by empirically unsubstantiated speculation in ethics? In answering that question, we need to distinguish between the major branches of ethics. In foundational moral philosophy, the use of speculative examples is warranted to the extent that ethical principles and theories are assumed to be applicable even under the extreme circumstances referred to in these examples. Such an assumption is in need of justification, and it cannot just be taken for granted. In applied ethics, the use of unrealistic scenarios is more difficult to justify. It can be positively harmful if it diverts our attention from more urgent issues. Neuroethics is one of the areas of applied ethics where speculative scenarios have taken up much of the attention that could instead have been devoted to problems that are relevant for the treatment and care of patients. Speculative ethics has often been defended with mere possibility arguments that may at first hand seem difficult to refute. It is shown with examples how such claims can be defeated with a combination of science and argumentation analysis

Argumentation theory · Bioethics · Economics · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Neuroethics · Political science · Psychiatry · Speculation · Engineering · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Ethics in medical practice · Law · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Philosophy · Psychology

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