Philosophical approach to the current debates in neurosciences: the identity problem and its social repercussion

• Autores: María Elizabeth de los Ríos Uriarte
• Localización: Medicina y Ética: Revista internacional de bioética, deontología y ética médica, ISSN-e 2594-2166, ISSN 0188-5022, Vol. 30, Nº. 1 (enero-marzo/January-March), 2019, págs. 225-236
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Aproximación filosófica a los debates actuales en neurociencias: el problema de la identidad y su repercusión social
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• Resumen

  • This article analyzes the problem of human identity concerning the neuroscientific interventions on the brain. It questions the place, role and construction of the identity and its repercussions, in order to be altered, either to find a cure or just to enhance certain functions. Also, it is studied if there is a determinism in ethical conducts and the consequences of this affirmation. Finally, it isconfirmed that identity is located at the ontological level and, therefore, even when it maintains a close relationship with the social environment, it does not depend on it, for its development. Are we our brains? This is one of the questions that arise with a greater eco, in face of the current new findings, in ç neurosciences. The possibility to determine the biological place where phenomena that we thought specific or particular of a transcendent dimension, or even spiritual ones such as the emotions and human feelings, are found, opens the debate about a reductionist view where the essence itself of the human being would be determined by his brain functions; in this way, several consequences are drawn of such vision, either at a conduct and human behavior level, as well as at a human sensations and personality formation level. Neurosciences break schemes of traditional thinking that it is worthwhile to address, in light of their advancement, and of the revolution it generates day by day. In this paper, we are going to address these controversial findings, and their consequences for an integral understanding of the human being and of his being a person, beginning with an analytic vision of two facets, where the debate about the biological reductionism, shows its most voracious face: in the first place, regarding the philosophical problem of the human beings identity, and in second place whatever is concerning to the human conduct and its social behavior