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Intention and Moral Enhancement.

William Simkulet¹

¹simkuletwm@yahoo.com.

|October 1, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Philosophers propose moral enhancements, but interventions like

Keywords:

hat-hanging hat-hiding intention moral bioenhancement moral compulsion moral enhancement neuroenhancement

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Area of Science:

Moral Philosophy
Ethics
Neuroethics

Background:

Philosophers are exploring novel interventions termed 'moral enhancements'.
These interventions aim to influence human behavior and decision-making.
Existing proposals range from informed decision-making support to compelled actions.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the philosophical concept of moral enhancement.
To analyze specific interventions such as 'hat-hanging' and 'hat-hiding'.
To determine if current interventions qualify as genuine moral enhancements.

Main Methods:

Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
Examination of the ethical implications of behavioral interventions.
Distinction between outcomes and intentions in moral actions.

Main Results:

Interventions directing attention ('hat-hanging'/'hat-hiding') may yield desirable outcomes (e.g., increased altruism).
These methods, however, do not qualify as genuine moral enhancement.
A key deficiency is the neglect of the agent's intentions.

Conclusions:

Genuine moral enhancement requires more than just influencing behavior or outcomes.
The agent's intentions are crucial for an action to be considered morally enhanced.
Current attention-directing interventions fall short of true moral enhancement due to their focus on outcomes over intentions.