Future avenues for education and neuroenhancement

Abstract

Education, in epistemological terms, presents an arena in which the development of knowledge and its transmission frame fundamentally distinct assignments: in social contexts knowledge exchange is prioritised to equip individuals as knowers; in theoretical contexts, an understanding of knowing as a state of mind is the primary objective. Distinguishing between education and its institutionalised product –the school–, this paper reviews the notion that today's modern classroom settings limit the applicability of neuroscience research by focusing on equipping individuals as knowers. In contrast, educational research has become increasingly grounded in brain sciences, with future premises examining artificial intelligence technologies (AI) targeted at enhancing learning and memory based on an understanding of the nature of knowing. Taking into account this bifurcation between education and school, this paper examines how the paths of educational, neuroscience, and AI research cross beyond school-enabled learning. This is contemplated across three sections. The first section examines the historical basis of the bifurcation between education and schooling. The second reviews the potential impacts of current neuroscience knowledge on educational implementations. The third discusses how and why neuroscience and AI technologies could be pertinent to educational discourse in the future.