Moral attitudes and willingness to induce cognitive enhancement and repair with brain stimulation

TL;DR

This study explores public moral attitudes and willingness to use brain stimulation for cognitive enhancement and repair, revealing preferences for altruistic applications and links between moral acceptability and willingness to use such technologies.

Contribution

It provides empirical data on public perceptions of brain stimulation's morality and willingness to use it, highlighting differences in attitudes towards self versus others and core identity functions.

Findings

People are more willing to repair others than themselves.

Moral acceptability correlates with willingness to use brain stimulation.

Public endorses altruistic use of cognitive enhancement technologies.

Abstract

The availability of technological means to enhance and repair human cognitive function raises questions about the perceived morality of their use. In this study, we administered a survey to the public in which subjects were asked to report how willing they would be to enhance and/or repair specific cognitive abilities. Among 894 responders, we found that subjects were more willing to use technologies to repair other people than themselves, and especially to enhance or repair functions more "core" to authentic identity in others. Subjects' ratings of the moral acceptability of specific uses was related to their reported willingness to use brain stimulation. These findings suggest that the public endorses an altruistic approach to applying brain stimulation for cognitive gains. Further, this study establishes a basis to guide moral psychological studies of cognitive modification and social processes that guide attitudes toward and uses of brain stimulation.