Abstract:
In the last decades, novel neurotechnologies are enabling the collecting
and analyzing of neuronal data as well as the targeted alteration of brain activity.
While this progress has the potential to help many patients with neurological or
mental diseases, it also raises significant ethical and societal consequences, putting
the mental privacy, identity and agency of citizens potentially at risk. As one approach
to provide ethical guidelines to novel neurotechnologies, we propose a “Technocratic
Oath,” as a pledge of simple, fundamental ethical core principles to be adopted
by Neurotechnology developers and the industry. Our proposed Technocratic Oath
is anchored on seven ethical principles: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy,
justice, dignity, privacy and transparency. The Technocratic Oath is modelled after
the Hippocratic Oath, a pledge taken by all physicians as they enter the medical
profession. While legally non-binding, the professional weight of the Hippocratic
Oath has historically led to responsible practices in the world of medicine. Similarly,
the Technocratic Oath could help establish and propagate a core of ethical principles
to ensure responsible innovation and to protect the fundamental human rights of
patients and consumers
