Neuroscience, Ethical issues in

Neuroscience is the scientific investigation of the nervous system—from the functioning of cells up to organs like the brain. The development of this branch of biology has been steadfast for a few decades, particularly thanks to cerebral imaging or functional magnetic resonance imaging technologies. Neuroscience offers a social-cognitive dimension: It has been considered as an interdisciplinary field, linked to numerous other scientific fields, including cognitive psychology, political sciences, economics, and management studies. Indeed, brain phenomena play an important role in allowing people to understand themselves, others, and the world and to act accordingly in their organizational behaviors.

Such scientific developments and insights have fostered the emergence of an ethical field, called neuroethics or moral-cognitive neuroscience, which considers biology in connection with moral choices. From this perspective, ...