← Back to Concept Indexbrain-computer-interfaces
Implantable or wearable devices that connect the brain directly to computers to restore or enhance neurological functions.
2 chapters across 1 book
PART II Hacking the BrainThis chapter explores the rising use of cognitive enhancers such as ADHD drugs, dietary supplements, brain-training games, and emerging neurotechnology to improve brain performance, especially among healthy individuals seeking competitive advantages. It discusses the ethical and legal implications of such enhancements, contrasting them with clear-cut cheating exemplified by the Operation Varsity Blues scandal. The chapter also highlights institutional responses, including academic policies that classify unauthorized use of cognitive enhancers as cheating.
Chapter 9: Beyond Human 1. Zvonimir Vrselja et al., “Restoration of Brain Circulation and Cellular Functions Hours Post- Mortem,” Nature 568 (2019): 336–343, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1099–1. 2. Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely and Charles Giattino, “Part-Revived Pig Brains Raise Slew of Ethical Quandaries,” Nature , April 17, 2019, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019- 01168–9. 3. Benjamin D. Ross, “Transhumanism: An Ontology of the World’s Most Dangerous Idea” (PhD dissertation, University of North Texas, May 2019), https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1505282/. 4. Celina Ribeiro, “Beyond Our ‘Ape-Brained Meat Sacks’: Can Transhumanism Save Our Species?,” The Guardian, June 3, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/04/beyond-our-ape-brained-meat-sacks-can- transhumanism-save-our-species. 5. Ribeiro, “Beyond Our ‘Ape-Brained Meat Sacks.’” 6. Ribeiro. 7. Raffi Khatchadourian, “The Doomsday Invention: Will Artificial Intelligence Bring Us Utopia or Destruction?,” New Yorker , November 23, 2015, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/doomsday-invention-artificial-intelligence- nick-bostrom. 8. Nick Bostrom, “A History of Transhumanist Thought,” Journal of Evolution and Technology 14, no. 1 (April 2005). 9. Khatchadourian, “The Doomsday Invention.” 10. Bernard Marr, “Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) a Threat to Humans?” Forbes, March 2, 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/03/02/is-artificial-intelligence-ai-a-threat-to- humans/?sh=7445a95f205d. 11. Ross, “Transhumanism.” 12. Ross, “Transhumanism.” 13. Bostrom, “History of Transhumanist Thought.” 14. Francis Fukuyama, “Transhumanism,” Foreign Policy 144 (Sept/Oct 2004): 42–43. 15. Francis Fukuyama, Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002). 16. Michael J. Sandel, The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009), 26–27. 17. Ross, “Transhumanism: An Ontology of the World’s Most Dangerous Idea.” 18. Calico, “Research & Technology,” Calico Life Sciences LLC, accessed July 14, 2022, https://www.calicolabs.com/research-technology. 19. Maya Kosoff, “Peter Thiel Wants to Inject Himself with Young People’s Blood,” Vanity Fair , August 1, 2016, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/08/peter-thiel-wants-to-inject-himself- with-young-peoples-blood. 20. Alcor, “Membership,” Alcor Life Extension Foundation, accessed July 14, 2022, https://www.alcor.org/membership/. 21. Khatchadourian, “The Doomsday Invention.” 22. Antonio Regalado, “A Startup is Pitching a Mind-Uploading Service that is ‘100 percent fatal,’” MIT Technology Review , March 13, 2018,Chapter 9 of 'The Battle for Your Brain' explores the frontier of human enhancement and the ethical, technological, and philosophical challenges posed by transhumanism, brain-computer interfaces, and synthetic biology. It surveys recent scientific advances such as restoration of brain function post-mortem, brain implants enabling communication for locked-in patients, and emerging technologies like mind uploading and AI integration, while critically engaging with debates on the risks and promises of transcending biological limitations. The chapter also addresses societal implications, bioethical concerns, and the cultural discourse surrounding the posthuman future.