University Library News
Georgia State University

Neuroethics Second Century Initiative Awarded

Neuro EthicsCongratulations to the Department of Philosophy, the Neuroscience Institute, the Department of Psychology, and the College of Law, which have been awarded funding to hire three new faculty members as a part of Georgia State University’s Second Century Initiative in the cutting edge field of neuroethics. The Second Century Initiative seeks to build internationally recognized scholarly strength around common research themes that have national significance. The funding will allow Georgia State University to take a leading role in the advancement of human knowledge in this vital new domain.

Neuroethicists consider how ethical theories inform neuroscientific practice and how neuroscientific discoveries inform ethical theorizing. Some researchers in neuroethics address the implications of brain scanning technologies now being used for lie detection, marketing, and predicting future behavior. Others focus on questions regarding brain science and the law, e.g., whether brain scans violate the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. Still others study the neuropsychological processes that underlie moral cognition and behavior, e.g., the role of emotion in moral reasoning and the role of neurobiological deficits in criminal behavior. Neuroethicists also consider the impact of neuroscientific discoveries on debates about ethics and moral psychology. For instance, does modern neuroscience threaten our conceptions of self, free will, or moral responsibility? 

While the field is relatively new, the University Library has a number of books on this topic, including:

Glannon, Walter. Brain, Body, and Mind: Neuroethics with a Human Face. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Illes, Judy, and B. J. Sahakian. The Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Giordano, James J., and Bert Gordijn. Scientific and Philosophical Perspectives in Neuroethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Racine, Eric. Pragmatic Neuroethics: Improving Treatment and Understanding of the Mind-brain. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2010.

Glannon, Walter. Defining Right and Wrong in Brain Science: Essential Readings in Neuroethics. New York: Dana Press, 2007.