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Julian Savulescu "Enhancing Responsibility"

  • 09 Dec 2014
  • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Macquarie University, NSW

Julian Savulescu (University of Oxford), "Enhancing Responsibility"

Macquarie University Centre for Agency Values and Ethics Public Lecture: Tuesday 9 December 2014

http://cave.mq.edu.au/events/seminars_and_public_lectures/

Time: 17:30 - 19:00
Venue: E7B 100 Theatrette 

Macquarie University

Abstract: Responsibility is central our conceptions of ourselves as persons. People "take responsibility" for their actions. But what does this mean? Recent neuroscience and psychology are calling into question whether free will exists and whether people are "in control" of their actions. How should we decide whether criminals are responsible, in light of recent neuroscientific research? Should people suffering from lifestyle diseases, such as alcoholism, smoking and obesity, be held responsible for their ill health and given lower priority in health delivery?

I will explore these questions and whether responsibility could be enhanced by biomedical means. I will argue that we both can and should enhance responsibility.


About Professor Savulescu

Julian Savulescu is a world leader in practical ethics. He holds the Uehiro Chair for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford and is Director of both the Institute for Science and the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics. He is the author of over 250 publications, including his 2012 book, Unfit for the Future: The Needs for Moral Enhancement, co-authored with Ingmar Persson and published by Oxford University Press. He is also the editor of Journal of Medical Ethics and founding editor of Journal of Practical Ethics. Julian Savulescu contributes to the public understanding and discussion of practical ethics, through appearances on TV, radio and in the print media.


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