Neurohacking: Ethical and Philosophical Problems

Abstract

Neurohacking is a form of biohacking that aims to interfere with the structure or function of neurons to restore or improve the functioning of the brain and the central nervous system. The author focuses on the problems of using neurohacking methods by healthy people and on the prospects of using neurohacking for purposes other than medicine, considering them from the point of view of neuroethics. It is noted that neurotechnologies can be "dual-purpose" tools, that is, they can be used not only to solve medical problems, but also for other purposes, including malicious ones. The article discusses two types of neurohacking technologies: invasive, based on surgical interventions to restore or improve the functions of the body, and non-invasive, modifying the body without such interventions. Both of these types, originally developed for medical use, have the potential to be used by healthy people to improve and expand cognitive and sensory abilities. However, by seeking to improve cognitive abilities through neurohacking, a person can make their brain vulnerable to manipulation, subject to external control and management. This threatens him with the loss of free will, privacy and personal dignity. Uncontrolled use of neurohacking is dangerous not only for the subject who uses it, but also for society. The increased use of these technologies can lead to unpredictable consequences, including a new stratification of society and social segregation. A deep intrusion into the subtle structures of the brain, affecting its cognitive and sensitive abilities, sharpens the search for answers to the question of the essence of consciousness, and the inevitable existential risks for both the individual and humanity with the uncontrolled introduction of neurohacking require its ethical and philosophical understanding, evaluation and regulation.