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Elon Musk just announced that Neuralink, a “brain-computer interface,” has been implanted in a human brain for the first time. Patient zero is recovering well. The technology has already been tested on animals and is branded as his Fitbit for the brain. When paired with an iPhone, Neuralink can help control prosthetic limbs, monitor brain activity in real time, and improve overall cognitive performance. Eventually it will be seamlessly combined with Tesla.
Neuralink is just the latest in a series of new technologies that are improving our cognitive abilities. Brain stimulation techniques have been proven to increase attention and increase creativity. The drug propranolol has memory-altering effects. Other drugs such as Adderall and Modafinal, which are widely used to treat ADHD, can be used to boost cognitive function.
And my favorite is optogenetics. This is a technique that causes neurons to fire when exposed to light. Yes, there is a big problem with shining a flashlight into your skull. But if we can do that, the technology offers all sorts of possibilities for enhancing cognitive abilities. Switch it on and watch your IQ rise.
Andrew Yang warns we are ‘not sufficiently prepared’ for ‘drastic changes’ caused by AI
Cognitive enhancements might not only take our thinking up a notch, but also help us understand moral concerns that are currently opaque to us. Think of it this way. Your dog has little understanding of morality. Sure, you may understand that snacking before Thanksgiving dinner makes you a “very, very bad dog.” And (as you’ll admit) he becomes a “good dog” when he lets the neighborhood kids pet him, even if it’s annoying.
Elon Musk continues to push the boundaries of science with his new Neuralink brain interface. But how does becoming smarter affect future morality? (Getty Images)
But talk to Fido about rights, equality, and the ethics of technology and you’ll get a blank stare. why? There are probably several reasons. The most obvious is that human adults have more sophisticated intelligence and are therefore better able to understand and understand morality than dogs.
My point? Just as we stand against dogs, our future cousins with enhanced cognitive abilities may stand against us. We will be able to better understand the moral nuances that have eluded us due to our cognitive inferiority. We are stunned by moral considerations that are completely foreign to our current cognitive level.
But the problem is that none of this actually makes us more moral. Your IQ has improved, your memory has become sharper, and your moral concerns are better understood. None. The reason is simple. Merely understanding morality does not improve morally.
2000 years ago, Aristotle had a word for this. “Akrasia” is knowing what is right but lacking the will to do it. Just because our future enhanced cousins may understand and appreciate morality better, doesn’t mean they will behave better. They may know the right thing to do, and they know better than we do, but then they choose to do something completely different. That is Aristotle’s lesson.
More recently, Professor Eric Schwitzgebel of the University of California, Riverside has made the same point in a different way through a series of studies on the moral behavior of ethicists. Ethicists probably know more about morality than the average Joe. After all, they study ethics all day long. Nevertheless, in tongue-in-cheek study after study, Schwitzgebel showed that professional ethicists are no better, or even slightly worse, than other people.
Professional ethicists return library books less frequently than others, vote at the same rate as their colleagues, speak at the same rate during other professors’ lectures, and sit in conference rooms with others. They are neglecting to leave garbage at the same rate.
Does this turn ethicists into moral monsters? Obviously not. But it suggests that just knowing more about morality doesn’t make you a better person. That also applies to professional ethicists. That also applies to our enhanced future cousins. And that also applies to us, the unenhanced masses.
The Neuralink brain interface is the latest advancement in making humans smarter. (Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutson)
But in reality, we didn’t need Aristotle or Schwitzgebel to show us this. Just because you’re smarter doesn’t mean you’re more moral. We’ve all known the evil, smartass bastard, the GPA-crushing roommate who’s impossible to live with, the genius with a bad personality.
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Moreover, a view of morality that recognizes the equal dignity of all human beings suggests that there is something sordid about assuming that moral worth is tied to IQ. This would ultimately mean that people with low IQs are morally inferior. A clear violation of human dignity.
So how can we become better morally? One possibility is to ignore cleverness in favor of morality when it comes to enhancement technology. Forget about increasing IQ and target empathy instead. Or altruism. Or simply a trait associated with a cheerful disposition. It’s possible this could work.
Ethicists probably know more about morality than the average Joe. After all, they study ethics all day long. Nevertheless, Schwitzgebel has shown, in tongue-in-cheek study after study, that professional ethicists are no better, or even slightly worse, than other people.
If so, our enhanced future cousins could be fine-tuned to not only be more knowledgeable about morality than we are, but to have a better moral compass. There is a problem. A moral compass is only useful if you want to follow the direction it points. And it’s not clear how any form of reinforcement can persuade people to go where their enhanced compass points.
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What would be a better way to move forward? A proven path that is available to us today. Aim to learn reliable moral advice and put it into practice. Get involved in your local community. Learn to appreciate beautiful things and reflect that vision in your life. engage in religious practices; Seek a solid education. Serving the poor, vulnerable, and underserved.
That is the path to moral sainthood, a path that cannot be undermined or surpassed by Neuralink.
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