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Announcements

Wellcome Lecture in Neuroethics: Moral enhancement? Evidence and challenges, Dr Molly Crockett, University of Zürich

Abstract: Can pills change our morals? Neuroscientists are now discovering how hormones and brain chemicals shape social behaviour, opening potential avenues for pharmacological manipulation of ethical values. In this talk, I will present an overview of recent studies showing how altering brain chemistry can change moral judgment and behaviour. These findings raise new questions about the… Read More »Wellcome Lecture in Neuroethics: Moral enhancement? Evidence and challenges, Dr Molly Crockett, University of Zürich

JOB: postdoc in law for the “Enhancing Responsibility” project- TU Delft and University of Oxford

**Deadline: 31 October 2011** Applicants are sought for a law postdoc position of 2.5 year duration to work on the international interdisciplinary research project “Enhancing Responsibility: the effects of cognitive enhancement on moral and legal responsibility” funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). A brief description of this project’s aims and inter-disciplinary approach… Read More »JOB: postdoc in law for the “Enhancing Responsibility” project- TU Delft and University of Oxford

The Experience Machine: A Survey

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In collaboration with the BBC’s Radio 4 show ‘The Philosopher’s Arms‘, we are running a series of short opinion surveys on the Practical Ethics blog as a way of promoting discussion on issues in practical ethics.

This week The Philosopher’s Arms discussed the problem of the Experience Machine, Robert Nozick’s hypothetical scenario about the machine that could simulate a happy life:

Suppose there were an experience machine that would give you any experience you desired. Superduper neuropsychologists could stimulate your brain so that you would think and feel you were writing a great novel, or making a friend, or reading an interesting book. All the time you would be floating in a tank, with electrodes attached to your brain.

The following survey explores some of the ethical themes raised by the Experience Machine.
Read More »The Experience Machine: A Survey

Announcement: International Neuroethics Society Annual Meeting

The 2011 annual meeting of the International Neuroethics Society will be held in Washington DC from November 10 and 11, and registration is now open. A number of contributors to the Practical Ethics and Neuroethics blogs will be in attendance. Some highlights of the programme include: Panel discussion on “Social knowledge and the evolution of… Read More »Announcement: International Neuroethics Society Annual Meeting

Announcement: An international conference on human embryo research

The following guest post is an announcement by David Albert Jones, director of the Ansombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford  www.bioethics.org.uk

How do we decide what protection to extend to the human embryo? On 8 September 2011 at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, the Anscombe Bioethics Centre is hosting a conference ‘Human embryo  research: law, ethics and public policy’. It will provide insight into the state of legal and ethical arguments in different countries, with academics in law and ethics from Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom. It is possible to book on-line here: http://anscombebioethics.bigcartel.com/

Read More »Announcement: An international conference on human embryo research

Annoucement: Bio-ethics Bites

We are pleased to announce the launch of Bio-ethics Bites, a freely-available series of interviews with leading thinkers on issues in practical ethics. Already posted: an interview with Jeff McMahan (Rutgers) on the question of moral status, and an interview with Julian Savulescu (Oxford) on designer babies. In the pipeline: interviews with Peter Singer (Princeton),… Read More »Annoucement: Bio-ethics Bites