THE BENEFITS AND THE BENEFITS AND RISKS OF VIRTUE RISKS OF VIRTUE ENGINEERINGENGINEERING

James J. Hughes Ph.D.

Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging TechnologiesPublic Policy Studies, Trinity Collegedirector@ieet.orgieet.org

Body and Enhancement Technology – Oct 4-6, 2012POSTECH, Pohang, South Korea

Emerging, Converging TechTech that will radically change the human

brain: Psychopharmacology Genetic engineering Nanotechnology Artificial intelligence Cognitive science

The accelerating convergence of all these

“for improving human performance”

Types of Enhancement

Physiological Enhancement Curing disabilities Health Longevity

Cognitive Enhancement Intelligence Emotional control Heightened senses

Moral Enhancement Spiritual experiences Improved moral sensibilities and

behavior

The Goal? Happiness? or More?

Chemical Happiness Wireheading Hedonic happiness

vs. eudaemonia Good mood vs.

a feeling of true accomplishment and developed virtue

Moral Enhancement Necessity

Savulescu and Persson 2012 Unfit for the Future: The Need for Moral Enhancement Humanity isn’t morally foresighted enough to survive our challengesTech super-empowers malevolent individuals Widespread moral enhancement is necessary for survival

Moral Suppression?

Rewards at work or military for less empathy or honestycold rational calculation

We need a social discussion about the risks of moral suppression and the need for moral enhancement

Treating Psychopaths

Identifying and treating psychopaths

Civilization is Moral Enhancement

Learning to act like a human being

Neo-Confucian morality: manners, social skills

Alasdair Macintyre: Virtues are social skills specific to societies

Broad Moral Enhancement

Internal

External

Hardware Software

Brain SystemsMirror neurons Innate sentimentsSelf-control capacityNeurotech therapies

Ethical software Laws, religionSocial normsDecision supportLie detectors Plagiarism checkers Trading surveillanceEhical warbots

Internalized normsMoral reasoningPedagogical methodsMeditation

InstitutionsSchools and churchesPolice and prisonsMoral gadgets UniformsWedding ringsWiring teeth, diet trackers, FitBit

Morality Gadgets

Enclothed cognition: Religious clothing, hair shirts, tefillin, lab coats

Behavior-triggered morality aids: e.g. email language filters, sobriety locks on cars

Moral Enhancement Has Always InvolvedBoth Enculturation and Technology

Shamanic use of entheogens

Iayuvredic vegetarianism: vegan diet makes people calmer, more pure Tryptophan

Chinese herbs for moral control

Moral benefits of fasting

Alcohol and drugs lead to loss of moral self-control

Suppressing Vice is Enhancing of Virtue

Causes of auto accidents Driving norms

Traffic laws and policing

Alcohol

Cell-phones

ADHD

Fatigue

Immorality of intoxication when it endangers others

Immorality of not drinking coffee or taking modafinil when it endangers others

Moral Enhancement Makes Us More Responsible

Understanding neurological causes of behavior allegedly undermines personal accountability

But moral enhancement technologies make us even more responsible

Did you take your pill? Using moral enhancement

tech will be both motivated by social control and be an exercise in self-control

Binding Ourselves is Self-Control

Buddhist Virtues

Self-Control Generosity Wisdom Diligent effort Patience Honesty Determination Loving-kindness Equanimity

Self-Control as Foundation

All philosophical and religious traditions agree

Without self-control we can’t practice any other virtues

Cognitive Liberty

Liberal democratic values Bodily autonomy: right to

control own body Freedom of conscience, thought:

right to control your brain Liberal democracy’s goal of

facilitating self-realization Decriminalizing psychoactive

drugs Brain privacy

Risks to Cognitive Liberty

Moral enhancement doesn’t pose novel challenges, but offers novel solutionsLack of PrivacyOvert ControlOwnership Social NormsNew addictionsUnequal access to neurotech

Overt Control

Soviet psychiatry Extension of debates

over freedom of thought, communication, indoctrination, involuntary commitment

Uses of neurotech to control desire, identity, ideation, knowledge

Defend liberal society, fight totalitarianism

Ongoing need to parse legitimate cognitive liberty from insanity and criminality

Normative Neuro-Authoritarianism

Self-Imposed:

Neuro-enforced patriarchy and theocracy

Amoral workers and soldiers

Transgenders fix brain or body?

Moral Progress and Cognitive Liberty Moral enhancement will change

social norms and definition of criminality

Continually redraw ing of boundaries of cognitive liberty

Slippery slopes apply as much to cultural norms as to moral enhancement technologies

All societies have evolving lines of what constitutes criminal or insane behavior

Sex/gender nonconformity

Rape: from Leviticus, execution and castration to prison and testosterone suppression

Therapies for Drug Dependency

Safer drugs Control of addictions

Alcohol aversion drugs, e.g. naltrexone

Buprenorphine (suboxone) for opiates

Vaccines and gene therapies to prevent or cure addictions

Brain Repair

Radical change in drug war debate

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

Wrath: Intermittent Explosive Disorder

6% prevalence? Brain lesions,

genetically linked Treatments:

antidepressants, antipsychotics, beta-blockers, alpha(2)-agonists, phenytoin and mood stabilizers.

Moral Self-Direction

Becoming aware of and controlling external influences

Conscious control of susceptibility to pressure to conform, obey

Spam filters, pop-up blockers, Mean Girl and anti-bullying training

Diligence and Concentration

Stimulants for attention deficit disorder

Loving-Kindness

Impairments inEarly attachmentsOxytocinMirror neurons

Empathy Therapies

Diagnosis for, and subsidized enhancement of, the genetic and neurophysiological bases of empathy and agreeableness

• Oxytocin and serotonin

• Attitudes toward immigrants has a genetic component

• Pathological racism & homophobia as mental disorders

The Right to Be a Jerk

Balancing between Suppressing sociopathyEncouraging pro-social valuesCriminalizing free thought and emotion

Haidt’s Five Moral Intuitions

Liberals: Harm/care Fairness/reciprocityConservatives Ingroup loyalty Respect for

authority Purity/sanctityBeing ethical may require

suppressing some moral intuitions and enhancing others

Suppressing (Im)moral Sentiments

Propranolol suppresses disgust/fear, racism

Pinker and violence – the gradual victory of Enlightenment moral codes

Universalism

Tolerance of diversity

Reinforcing Reasonable Sentiments

Oxytocin & in-group empathy

Serotonin and harm aversion

What is fairness? Who is a cheater/cheated?

Need for wisdom and insight

Openness to Novelty, Ambiguity Openness to novelty,

tolerance of ambiguity, 50% genetic

Related to authoritarianism and fundamentalism

(Eidelman et al 2012) Alcohol makes people more conservative, caffeine more open minded

Psilocybin has long term effect on increasing openness

Moral Cognition vs. Sentiment Balancing wisdom and compassion

Discriminating Wisdom

Moral character is a balanced composite of sentiments, habits and reasoning

Truth is not always virtuous

Wisdom & compassion: The ability to determine right action in the situation is a virtue

Moral effect of enhancement of alertness, memory, cognitive speed, predictive accuracy

Overcoming cognitive biases

Brain-Machine Interfaces

Boundlessness & Absorption Meditation and drugs

breaks down the illusion of continuous, discrete self

Trans-Cranial Magnetic Simulation (TMS) to suppress proprioception

The Promise of Moral Enhancement

Moral enhancementContinuation of ancient spiritual aspirationsHelp for living together Balance against empty hedonismProphylactic for psychopaths, especially once they are enhanced

The Risks

Overt state control of moral sentiments

Self-imposed normative control

Suppression of moral sentiments in order to be more successful as a worker, soldier or socially

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