Autistic Moral Agency and Integrative Neuroethics

Abstract

This chapter explores three models (mutual independence, limited collaboration, and constructive integration) of interdisciplinary interaction between neuroscience and ethics and specifies three possible ways (solving ethical issues in specific contexts, developing normative standards that can be used to regulate and evaluate the behaviors of a group of individuals with particular cognitive abilities or disabilities, and identifying and correcting faulty moral intuitions) neuroscience can contribute to normative discourse of ethics. Among the three models, the author discusses and analyzes constructive integration wherein neuroscience can contribute to the development of a normative standard that refers to a group of individuals under particular psychological conditions. By surveying and analyzing recent studies of neuroscience, specifically neuroimaging studies on cognitive empathy and emotional empathy, the author argues that neuroscience can be integrated with ethics in developing a normative standard for autistic moral agency. The author also argues that, in developing and justifying a normative standard, its psychological relevance should be considered. Since a normative standard relates to a group of individuals, consideration of their cognitive and emotional abilities is critically important. In this regard, integration of neuroscience and ethics can be understood as the theoretical effort to bring neuroscience to the discussion of normative rules and standards that can be practiced by a particular group of individuals.KeywordsMoral agencyAutismEmotional empathyCognitive empathyTheory of mindNeuroethics