Brain Sciences and Politics

Abstract

As one of the most dynamic and consequential areas of biomedical research, neuroscience must be analyzed in a broader political context. Research initiatives, individual use, and aggregate social consequences of unfolding knowledge about the brain and the accompanying applications require particularly close scrutiny because of the centrality of the brain itself to human behavior and thoughts. As one of the last frontiers of medicine, neuroscience has strong support because it promises to benefit many patients suffering from an array of behavioral, neurological, and mental disorders and injuries. Given the inevitability of expanded strategies for exploration and therapy of the brain, it is important that the political issues surrounding their application be clarified and debated before such techniques fall into routine use.

Citation

Blank, R.H. (2011), "Brain Sciences and Politics", Peterson, S.A. and Somit, A. (Ed.) Biology and Politics (Research in Biopolitics, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 205-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2042-9940(2011)0000009011