Neuro-Abilities and a Good Life

Abstract

Background: Neuro-based scientific and technological advancements constantly shape and are shaped by body/mind ability expectations, which in turn influence the perception and meaning of below species-typical (impaired), species-typical (normal) and beyond species-typical abilities (enhanced), which neuro-abilities are desired, and what neuro-ability-related actions are taken. Neuro-abilities from below to beyond species-typical abilities impact many indicators of well-being, or in other words the ability to have a good life. Disabled people experience barriers to a good life, many of which are outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Therefore, it is of importance to disabled people how neuro-advancements and neuro-ability expectations are governed. Ability-based theoretical concepts could be used to discuss and analyze in a systematic fashion neuro-ability expectation dynamics, the impact of neuro-advancements and human enhancements including neuro/cognitive enhancements on the ability to have a good life and contribute a unique lens to neuroethics, neurotechnology governance and ability expectation governance efforts.

Methods: In this study an online survey approach was used to ascertain the views of first-year undergraduate disability studies students on the impact of neurotechnologies, neuro/cognitive enhancements and human enhancements on the good life and the impact of being a disabled person in general and belonging to another marginalized group on experiencing a good life. Neuro-focused academic abstracts obtained from Scopus, Web of Science, and the 70 databases of EBSCO-HOST were searched for the presence of ability-based concepts.

Results: Students indicated that: 1) Disabled people will be increasingly impacted in a positive way by human enhancements and neurotechnologies; 2) Disabled people in general and even more if they belong also to another disadvantaged group experience a lower level of or are more impacted by most of the indicators of the four composite well-being measures (Social Determinants of Health; Canadian Index of Well-being, OECD Better Life Index and World Health Organization Community-Based Rehabilitation Matrix) than non-disabled people; and 3) More indicators of well-being of the four composite well-being measures are impacted by neurotechnologies and neuro/cognitive enhancements than not impacted. The review of the academic abstracts indicated that ability-based concepts were not used to discuss neuro-advancements or neuro- enhancements.

Conclusions: The findings of this study suggests that an in-depth engagement with the impact of neuro-advancements on the ability for a good life, especially in relation to disabled people, is warranted as is the use of ability-based concepts as an analytical lens.

J Neurol Res. 2024;14(1):16-36
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jnr770