Among those in thrall to neuroscience is a group of ethicists who are developing a new specialisation in bioethics: neuroethics. Neuroethics has taken it upon itself to police neuroscience. Neuroethics, by virtue of its very existence, poses a threat to bioethics from its parent field. As it struggles to maintain its authority as the gatekeeper of neuroscience, neuroethics must respond to criticism from bioethicists who see no need to specialise. This article describes the social history of neuroethics, which is used to consider several issues of concern to social scientists, including the social contexts that generate ethical questions and shape how these questions are formulated and answered. The impact of the field of neuroethics on both the work of neuroscience and public perceptions of the value and danger of brain science is also discussed.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1460-
9568.2010.07421.x?casa_token=HFMgjlv3_WEAAAAA:QhUjrel5f5XD8U319YEfbBsCPhE 1Pp4pvZf8CxLqphTXs36YWjwPSbFl356BOZwqLiVPS7f5D9Jd8A