Neuroethics as a Fundamental Ethic

Abstract

In her book Braintrust, the neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland puts forward her ideas about what neuroscience has contributed so far in the study of the neural bases of ethical behaviour in human beings. The main thesis of Churchland’s book is that morality has its origins in the neurobiology of attachment and bonding; she stresses the importance of oxytocin in the cooperative behaviour of human beings, and proposes that neuroethics might eventually come to be regarded as a fundamental ethic. In my opinion, however, Churchland’s proposal raises some pertinent questions, such as, Why should we behave ethically? or, What are moral values? In this paper we assess Churchland’s main ideas in an attempt to show whether neuroscience can be of help in answering these questions.