Doping, fairness, and unequal responsiveness: A response to Lavazza
Thomas Søbirk Petersen1, Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen2
1Department of Communication and Arts, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.
Bioethics
|June 15, 2021
Summary
Athletes unable to benefit from brain stimulation (tDCS) or other enhancers should not receive compensation due to practical challenges and an incoherent fairness principle. The focus should be on equitable access, not compensation for non-response.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Neuroscience
- Sports Science
Background:
- Performance-enhancing methods, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), raise ethical questions regarding fairness.
- Andrea Lavazza proposed compensation for athletes unresponsive to tDCS, citing fairness.
Purpose of the Study:
- Critically evaluate the feasibility and ethical coherence of compensating athletes for non-response to performance enhancers.
- Analyze the principle of fairness in the context of performance enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical argumentation
- Ethical analysis of compensation principles
- Critique of Lavazza's proposal
Main Results:
- Lavazza's proposal to compensate athletes non-responsive to tDCS is deemed practically unfeasible.
- The underlying compensation principle is argued to be incoherent, as it selectively addresses tDCS non-response while ignoring other enhancers.
Conclusions:
- The fairness principle requires a broader consideration than just tDCS non-response.
- Compensation for non-response to performance-enhancing methods is ethically problematic and practically difficult to implement fairly.
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