Extended mind and cognitive enhancement

moral aspects of cognitive artifacts

Richard Heersmink

pp. 17-32

in: Darian Meacham, Ruud ter Meulen, Sylvie Allouche (eds), Critiquing technologies of the mind, Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences 16 (1), 2017.

Abstract

This article connects philosophical debates about cognitive enhancement and situated cognition. It does so by focusing on moral aspects of enhancing our cognitive abilities with the aid of external artifacts. Such artifacts have important moral dimensions that are addressed neither by the cognitive enhancement debate nor situated cognition theory. In order to fill this gap in the literature, three moral aspects of cognitive artifacts are singled out: their consequences for brains, cognition, and culture; their moral status; and their relation to personal identity.