Social

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NEUROETHICS
Decision-making Planning Social
Attachment Aggression Cooperation Punishment Brain
Development
Social Neuroscience
Evolution the Social Brain
Ethology Anthropology Molecular
Biology Developmental Psychology Philosophy/Ethics
Neuroethics
Law Policy
Mental competence Frontality Responsibility Enha
ncement Intervention Status as a Person Neural
Prosthetics Stem Cells
Patricia Churchland UCSD 05/2006
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Where do moral principles Come from?

1. Divine authority?
2. Reason?
3. Moral intuition ?

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• Genes Culture
• Learning

Hamilton Axelrod Wilson Frank
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• we are social creatures
• trustworthiness is a value
• social isolation is a cost
• untrustworthiness is a cost

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Tom Insel NIMH
Larry Young, Emory University Sue Carter, UI at
Chicago
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Densities of oxytocin vasopressin receptors
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Pressure on Folk Psych.

• Reasoning is not indep. of
• emotion
• 2. Reasoning is often constraint
• satisfaction, pattern matching,
• or imagery
• 3. Control is regulated by the reward
• system -- neurochemicals
• 4. Decisions caused, noncon factors

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The Self
Self - representation Multi-dimensional Brain
construct
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Representations usually valenced
Separating fact from values a late
sophistication
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• Morality From the Biological Perspective
• Platform oxytocin, vasopressin et al.
• Tuned up by reward system
• Uses mirror neurons
• Bonding uses uncon imitation
• Choice is approx.constraint satisfaction

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What explains human style altruism?
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• Imitation in Affiliative Behavior
• In young predicts normal social
• brain
• 2. In kith, predicts kin-like normal
• social brain
• 3. In new group member, predicts
• normal social brain, is like us,
• will be loyal.

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• RULES Mainstream Philosophy
• Needed for morality
• Determined by reason
• Internalized by the young
• Used in moral reasoning to
• decided what one ought to do

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• Moral resp. arises from
• social need for civil behavior.
• Socialize children
• Protect ourselves
• Deter adults
• institutionalize revenge

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Holding Responsible Did he do it? Can he be
treated? Will he do it again?
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You cannot derive an ought from an is

• Representations are valenced
• we are attracted, repelled,
• curious, etc.

Fundamental oughts determined by what we are
wired to care about.
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Self-representations Subjectivity
Basic Platform coordinating inner body signals
selecting motor command Fancier Inner
distinction between about me --- about
that self/nonself
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What we count as the bestexplanations are
relative to background theories e.g. Newtonian
mechanics, statistical mechanics..
What we count as the best decisions are
relative to background theories e.g. that
psychiatric symptoms are neuro, that there are no
witches, that homosexuality is not a character
flaw
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Derive ought from an is?
Scientific reasoning inference to the best
explanation
Practical reasoning inference to the best
decision
What we ought to believe What we ought to do
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• Moral resp. sanction arises
• from social need for
• civil behavior.
• Socialize children
• Protect ourselves
• Deter adults
• institutionalize revenge