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Mental Privacy, Cognitive Liberty, and Hog-tying
1Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, 1000 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA. Parker.crutchfield@wmed.edu.
Protecting cognitive liberty, or freedom of thought, can paradoxically restrict others' freedoms. The right to mental privacy is less robust than cognitive libertarians assert.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Philosophy
- Cognitive Liberty and Ethics
Background:
- Advancements in brain and mind science enable new forms of surveillance and manipulation.
- Cognitive libertarians express concern that these developments threaten freedom of thought.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the implications of protecting cognitive liberty.
- To evaluate the feasibility of strong cognitive liberty protections in light of potential conflicts with other liberties.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical argumentation
- Analysis of libertarian principles applied to cognitive liberty
- Comparison with property and personal rights debates
Main Results:
- Protecting one individual's cognitive liberty can impede others' ability to exercise their own.
- Neurotechnological intrusions are not fundamentally different from ordinary intrusions on mental autonomy.
- Libertarian strategies for resolving conflicts between rights are insufficient for cognitive liberty.
Conclusions:
- The right to mental privacy is weaker than cognitive libertarians propose.
- Strong cognitive liberty protections may unduly restrict everyday freedoms and interactions.
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