COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT: Moral, Legal and Scientific Challenges

Philosophy Section, Technische Universiteit Delft, The Netherlands

August 13-15, 2014

http://enhancingresponsibility.com

conference@enhancingresponsibility.com

CALL FOR PAPERS (abstracts due January 20, 2014)

Just as some medications can enhance physical performance (e.g. of athletes), others allegedly enhance mental performance (e.g. wakefulness, attention, and clarity of thought), and reports from around the world suggest that the use of drugs like methylphenidate and modafinil for cognitive enhancement purposes is on the rise. In addition to surveying what putative cognitive enhancement technologies exist, this conference will interrogate a range of scientific, legal, political, moral, and often personal questions including:

Science (e.g. psychology, neuroscience, pharmacology, medicine):

• Do any of these cognitive enhancers actually work?

• If so, precisely what kind and degree of effects do they have?

• How do they achieve those effects — i.e. through what mechanisms?

• What might be their short- and long-term (side-)effects?

• Why do people use cognitive enhancers?

• What is the social perception of cognitive enhancement and of enhanced people?

Law:

• How should society regulate cognitive enhancers? Should they be banned? Or maybe promoted?

• Might we be negligent if we fail to use cognitive enhancers in some circumstances?

• Should cognitively enhanced people be held to a higher standard of care?

Philosophy:

• Is it fair if some people enhance themselves while others do not (have access to enhancers)?

• Ought anyone be permitted to enhance themselves if this pressures others to do likewise?

• Are we less praiseworthy for accomplishments attained while cognitively enhanced?

• Does cognitive enhancement threaten authenticity or the self?

• How do problems surrounding cognitive enhancement compare to problems of doping in sports?

And, ultimately, would you – e.g. a student, teacher, researcher, motor vehicle driver, surgeon, pilot, member of the military, etc – ever (want to) use cognitive enhancers?

Presentations from leading international scholars from across a range of disciplines will interrogate these and other related questions.

CONFIRMED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

• Roshan Cools (Radboud University Nijmegen)

• Tom Douglas (University of Oxford)

• Masud Husain (University of Oxford)

• Neil Levy (Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health; University of Oxford)

• Reinhard Merkel (University of Hamburg)

• Jan Schildmann (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

• Illina Singh (King’s College London)

• <other speakers forthcoming>

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

We invite submission of abstracts of 500-750 words from researchers in relevant disciplines – e.g. neuroscience, psychology, law, philosophy, social science – and from policy makers, professionals (including legal professionals), representatives of professional bodies, and government. Abstracts for oral and poster presentations (please indicate which) should be emailed to conference@enhancingresponsibility.com by January 20, 2014. Applicants will be notified by mid-March 2014 whether their abstract has been accepted.

REGISTRATION AND PROGRAMME

Registration for the full length of the conference will be €225, with a discounted rate of €130 for students (including PhD students). Single day registration will also be available at €130 per day (€80 for students). Special requests for the discounted rate from low income earners may be considered. Late-comers (i.e. those who register after July 15, 2014) will pay 30% more for registration.

A first draft of the conference programme and details about how to register will appear at http://www.enhancingresponsibility.com/ in mid-December 2014.

PUBLICATIONS

A selection of presenters will be invited to contribute a chapter towards a peer-reviewed inter-disciplinary book that will be published in mid-2015 with a prestigious academic press. To ensure timeliness of publication, we request that authors interested in this project (a) let us know, and (b) plan to have a written draft of their paper ready by September 1, 2014.