TY - JOUR
T1 - Treatments approved, boosts eschewed
T2 - Moral limits of neurotechnological enhancement
AU - Koverola, Mika
AU - Kunnari, Anton Johannes Olavi
AU - Drosinou, Maria-Anna
AU - Palomäki, Jussi Petteri
AU - Hannikainen, Ivar
AU - Košová, Michaela
AU - Kopecký, Robin
AU - Sundvall, Jukka
AU - Laakasuo, Michael
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - In six vignette-based experiments, we assessed people's moral reactions towards various cognition-enhancing brain implants, including their overall approval and perceived fairness, as well as the dehumanization of brain-implanted agents. Across the domains of memory (Studies 1-4, 6), general intelligence (Study 5A), and emotional stability (Study 5B), people in general approved of alleviating ailments, and even of attaining optimal human performance, but expressed greater opposition towards superhuman levels of enhancement. Further analyses of individual differences indicated that the tendency to condemn transhumanist technologies, such as brain implants, was linked to sexual disgust sensitivity and the binding moral foundations - two characteristic correlates of a conservative worldview. In turn, exposure to science fiction was tied to greater approval of brain implants. We also examined potential idiosyncrasies associated with our stimulus materials and did not find reliable effects of any secondary factors on moral attitudes. Taken together, our studies reveal certain moral boundaries to neurotechnological enhancement, strong among those with conservative affective and moral dispositions but relaxed among those familiar with science fiction themes.
AB - In six vignette-based experiments, we assessed people's moral reactions towards various cognition-enhancing brain implants, including their overall approval and perceived fairness, as well as the dehumanization of brain-implanted agents. Across the domains of memory (Studies 1-4, 6), general intelligence (Study 5A), and emotional stability (Study 5B), people in general approved of alleviating ailments, and even of attaining optimal human performance, but expressed greater opposition towards superhuman levels of enhancement. Further analyses of individual differences indicated that the tendency to condemn transhumanist technologies, such as brain implants, was linked to sexual disgust sensitivity and the binding moral foundations - two characteristic correlates of a conservative worldview. In turn, exposure to science fiction was tied to greater approval of brain implants. We also examined potential idiosyncrasies associated with our stimulus materials and did not find reliable effects of any secondary factors on moral attitudes. Taken together, our studies reveal certain moral boundaries to neurotechnological enhancement, strong among those with conservative affective and moral dispositions but relaxed among those familiar with science fiction themes.
KW - Brain implant
KW - Cognitive enhancement
KW - DISGUST
KW - DOMAINS
KW - DRUGS
KW - Dehumanization
KW - ETHICS
KW - FOUNDATIONS
KW - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES
KW - JUDGMENTS
KW - Moral foundations theory
KW - SENSITIVITY
KW - Sexual disgust
KW - 5144 Social psychology
KW - 6162 Cognitive science
KW - 611 Philosophy
U2 - 10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104351
DO - 10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104351
M3 - Article
VL - 102
JO - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
SN - 0022-1031
M1 - 104351
ER -