Neurosociety Ahead? Debating Free Will in the Media
Neurosociety Ahead? Debating Free Will in the Media
This chapter examines the idea of a neurosociety and the public debate in Germany regarding the link between consciousness and behavior. Should criminals be viewed as responsible and guilty, or “just” as deviant and dangerous? Should children be educated on the basis of their self-proclaimed needs and talents since their developing brains always know best what they need? Issues such as these are debated as highly questionable implications of brain research for notions of person, responsibility, and free will. The argument is that the self has a capacity to reflect and sort out inner and outer conditions for action, rather than being fully determined by them. Today, a concerted scientific effort focuses on free will and consciousness, volition, perception, reflection, and action.
Keywords: neurosociety, Germany, consciousness, behavior, brain research, free will, self, volition, perception, action
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