17076 Milwaukee Academy of Medicine - Cognitive Enhancement of Today May be the Normal of Tomorrow - September 19, 2017
Cognitive Enhancement of Today May be the Normal of Tomorrow
Fabrice Jotterand, PhD, MA
Associate Professor, Bioethics and Medical Humanities
Director, Graduate Program in Bioethics
Medical College of Wisconsin
This presentation considers the use of cognitive enhancers in healthy individuals with cognitive deficits caused by mental impairment. The objectives of my analysis are twofold: 1) to outline some of the problems associated with the attempt to distinguish the concept of enhancement from therapy, and 2) to show the relevance of the distinction between two different categories of cognitive enhancement in the attempt to demonstrate why the notion of human enhancement might become part of the therapeutic language of tomorrow. First, I examine the various conceptualizations of enhancement found in literature, especially as outlined by Chadwick and Agar, two scholars who provide helpful analyses of the concept. Second, I introduce the notion of the “clinical ideal” and evaluate the concept of enhancement in the context of clinical interventions. In the final part of my presentation, I look at the implications of the clinical ideal in relation to the use of cognitive enhancers in people with mental impairment.
Target Audience
- Physicians of all medical specialties
Learning Objectives
- Identify the challenges associated with the distinction between therapy and enhancement
- Appreciate how the concept of the “clinical ideal” provides a potential justification of the use of cognitive enhancers in the mentally impaired
- Understand the ethical and clinical implications of the “clinical ideal” with regard to the use of cognitive enhancers in the clinical context
All persons in control of content have NO relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Available Credit
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 1.00 Hours of ParticipationHours of Participation credit.