The question of animal experimentation bears directly on EA funding decisions.
There is no “vegan” way out for some kinds of studies. I personally would volunteer for some kinds of experiments, if I had just a short time to live. Even that would not cover all of the necessary cases, and I might be prevented.
For example, we urgently need to map fluid flows in the brain. When we sleep, flows in the “glymphatic system” turn on and off. We barely understand this phenomenon.
If we knew more, we could try new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, sleep disorders and mental illness. Medication dosing would become more accurate, and we might even know more about how cancers in the brain spread.
Institutional Review Boards get confused about these issues, too. Without clarity, both fighting disease and human enhancement (for good or bad) will be hampered.
That’s why we need clear vision in neuroethics. Ethical theory very quickly feeds into research approval and funding determinations.
The question of animal experimentation bears directly on EA funding decisions.
There is no “vegan” way out for some kinds of studies. I personally would volunteer for some kinds of experiments, if I had just a short time to live. Even that would not cover all of the necessary cases, and I might be prevented.
For example, we urgently need to map fluid flows in the brain. When we sleep, flows in the “glymphatic system” turn on and off. We barely understand this phenomenon.
If we knew more, we could try new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, sleep disorders and mental illness. Medication dosing would become more accurate, and we might even know more about how cancers in the brain spread.
Institutional Review Boards get confused about these issues, too. Without clarity, both fighting disease and human enhancement (for good or bad) will be hampered.
That’s why we need clear vision in neuroethics. Ethical theory very quickly feeds into research approval and funding determinations.