Possibilities and threats
The goal of the day was not only to inform the audience on human enhancement, but also to let them think critically about the possibilities and the threats of this rising social trend. A trend that is currently followed only by individuals with individual wishes. The organisers wanted to take things a step further: what do we think of human enhancement for groups of people, bearing in mind collectively desirable goals that we as a society – and particularly as a government – would like to reach? Take, for example, concentration enhancers for judges, magnetic stimulation to make soldiers braver or good surroundings for keeping young delinquents on the right path.

Uses
The morning programme was kicked off by director Jan Staman who gave a master class on human enhancement. Afterwards Ruben Maes (the day’s chairman) and Rob van Hattum (VPRO) interviewed a number of academics and ethicists on the specific uses of human enhancement. Each theme (psychiatric medications, neurotechnology and IT) was discussed by two academics and one ethicist.

Developments happen fast
Much of the research is still in its infancy, but at the same time, developments are happening so fast that some uses have already been applied in, for example, the American army, or have at least been tried out. For example, medicines for patients with sleeping disorders, such as modafinil, are being taken by soldiers in order to stay awake and alert for over 48 hours. Or beta blockers in combination with therapy in order to remove emotional tension caused by traumatic memories.

Enhancing healthy people
Alex Sack, international expert in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) – a way to externally influence brain activity by means of a magnetic coil – announced that TMS will increasingly be used to improve the cognitive capacities of healthy people. Damiaan Denys, psychiatrist at the Academic Medical Centre (AMC), foresees a huge future for deep brain stimulation (DBS) for many afflictions. From his own experience he knows that you can truly make people happier with an electrode in a specific part of the brain. He even claims he might be able to ‘defundamentalise’ fundamentalists. The question is, of course, how desirably these uses are. Does this not erase our authenticity? But what is that, exactly?

Stay sober and sceptical
The lecture by philosopher of technology Tsjalling Swierstra was quite sobering. Many of the predictions and promises of scientists and technologists often do not come true, or a technology does not lead to a desired solution and ends up causing many side-effects. For example, personality changes through DBS or ‘educational’ energy metres which ultimately infringe on privacy. Swierstra especially recommended policy-makers to stay sober and sceptical, without losing the power of imagination to timely intercept undesired side-effects with or without instructions.
 
Two men improve themselves
Less sober were the users: two men who had experience enhancing themselves. Michael Schaap had even made a film of it: Viagraman. And Jurriaan Teulings wrote an article for the New Revu on his use of Ritalin and Modafinil. Especially Ritalin – a concentration enhancer – caused an unprecedented focus on his work, resulting in the neglect of his friends. This became enough reason for him to stop taking Ritalin. Schaap considered the most significant side-effects of Viagra the pharmacological dependency and the insecurity concerning one’s own sexual capacity. In Schaap’s documentary it becomes clear that Viagra-producer Pfizer refuses to mention this as a side-effect in the information leaflet.
 
Neurofeedback deemed privileged
The discussion at the end of the day showed that many people acquired new information; especially much of the research is not familiar to many. Neurofeedback, which is a way to gain control over your own brain activity by means of visualising this activity, is seen by many policy-makers as privileged. Within the policy areas of Justice and BZK, this field could soar, because few ethical objections come with it; it is not an invasive intervention and it increases the user’s autonomy. Research is now being done in Maastricht on how to decrease fears and increase empathy using neurofeedback supported by fMRI.

Government must guide
From the discussion it became clear that those present were of the opinion that the government should give more direction to desirable research concerning human enhancement, and also that, in case something would go wrong along the way, the government would have the responsibility to adjust the plan. Everyone ought to think along about possible ethical objections and a public discussion will be needed in the nearby future. Especially now it has become apparent, particularly through neuroscience, that the manipulability of man and his brain is much bigger than at first thought.