The Neuroethical Case Against Cognitive Memory Manipulation
Defense Date
5-4-2016
Graduation Date
Summer 1-1-2016
Availability
Immediate Access
Submission Type
dissertation
Degree Name
PhD
Department
Health Care Ethics
School
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
Committee Chair
Gerard Magill
Committee Member
Gerard Magill
Committee Member
Henk ten Have
Committee Member
Joris Glen
Keywords
Autobiographical Memory, Emotional Rationality, Ethical Decision Making, Narrative Identity, Neurocognitive Memory Manipulation, Neuroethics
Abstract
An increasingly blurred understanding of the moral significance of accurate and authentic memory reconsolidation for an adequate apprehension of self, other, and community suggests a critical need to explore the inter-relationships shared between autobiographical memory, emotional rationality, and narrative identity in light of the contemporary possibilities of neurocognitive memory manipulation, particularly as it bears on ethical decision making. Grounding its thesis in four evidential effects – namely, (i) neurocognitive memory manipulation disintegrates autobiographical memory, (ii) the disintegration of autobiographical memory degenerates emotional rationality, (iii) the degeneration of emotional rationality decays narrative identity, and (iv) the decay of narrative identity disables one to seek, identify, and act on the good – the dissertation argues that neurocognitive memory manipulation cannot be justified as a morally licit biomedical practice insofar as it disables one to seek, identify, and act on the good.
Format
Language
English
Recommended Citation
DePergola, P. (2016). The Neuroethical Case Against Cognitive Memory Manipulation (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1544