Cyborgs and moral identity

• Published in: Journal of medical ethics Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 79 - 83
• Main Author: Gillett, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics 01-02-2006; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Anencephaly - rehabilitation; Aristotelianism; Bioethics; Brain damage; Brain Injuries - rehabilitation; Craniocerebral Trauma - rehabilitation; Cybernetics; Cybernetics - ethics; Cyborgs; Electric Stimulation - instrumentation; Ethics; Humans; Identity; Intuition; Man-Machine Systems; moral status of persons; Morality; Morals; Neuroethics; Neurosciences; Personality Disorders - rehabilitation; personhood; Prostheses and Implants - ethics; Psychological attitudes; Robotics - ethics; Social interaction; Soul; Spirituality; Subjectivity; Tape recorders; Traumatic brain injury; Vision Disorders - rehabilitation
• ISSN: 0306-6800; 1473-4257
• DOI: 10.1136/jme.2005.012583

Neuroscience and technological medicine in general increasingly faces us with the imminent reality of cyborgs—integrated part human and part machine complexes. If my brain functions in a way that is supported by and exploits intelligent technology both external and implantable, then how should I be treated and what is my moral status—am I a machine or am I a person? I explore a number of scenarios where the balance between human and humanoid machine shifts, and ask questions about the moral status of the individuals concerned. The position taken is very much in accordance with the Aristotelian idea that our moral behaviour is of a piece with our social and personal skills and forms a reactive and reflective component of those skills.