Anniversary of the Neurobioethics Research Group
15 years of Neurobioethics
by Diego Zanforlin – PhD student in Bioethics
2024 marks an important anniversary for our Neurobioethics (GdN) Research Group. On March 20, the 15th anniversary of the creation of this dynamic and interdisciplinary reality was celebrated with a commemorative and in-depth event, on-site and online.
The GdN deals with emerging, avant-garde and frontier issues in the field of neuroethics such as the critical scenarios of motor, cognitive, affective, emotional and social enhancement; from scenarios that challenge the neurobioethicist, such as brain organoids, from the so-called āorganoid intelligenceā to human-machine hybridization for non-therapeutic purposes.
The rapid developments and applications of neuroscientific and neurotechnological discoveries to human beings challenge us to decide with awareness the direction to be given to progress.
In the March seminar, the past was remembered, the present illustrated and we projected ourselves towards the future of systematic and informed reflection on neuroscience and on the interpretation of the neural sciences themselves.
After an introduction on the history and path of the neurobioethics group in these 15 years, Prof. Carrara gave voice to the various coordinators of the research subgroups: the first to intervene was Dr. Maria Paola Brugnoli, anesthesiologist-resuscitator and coordinator of the subgroup dedicated to consciousness; below, Emanuela Cerasella, coordinator of the neurolaw subgroup; Dr. Riccardo Carrara, surgeon and coordinator of the subgroup on neurobioethics and methodology; Prof. Claudio Bonito, coordinator of the subgroup on Posthumanism, and at last, Ing. computer scientist Rosario Moscato, coordinator of the subgroup relating to neurobioethics and artificial intelligence. The debate was not attended by Alessandro Norsa, the psychologist who coordinates the subgroup on neuroaesthetics.
On this occasion, the dear colleagues who passed away were remembered: Prof. Maria Addolorata Mangione and Prof. Giorgia Salatiello.
The meeting ended with a convivial moment at the University.