Neuroscience Study Group - The Human Person in the Age of Neuroscience. Towards an Integral Neuroethics (THAN Project)
The complexity, rapid development, uncertainties, and breadth of application of neuroscience and neurotechnology, in the interface with AI, today, raise many questions that require interdisciplinary discussion.
The working group established by the Pontifical Academy for Life intends to foster discussion among neuroscientists, philosophers, and jurists internationally to identify the opportunities and key challenges that urgently require reflection in the public debate and recommendations for policy actions. In particular, it intends to investigate the risks of reduction of the human being to his/her brain-mind (neurocentrism, neuroreductionism), the non-therapeutic uses of neurotechnology (neuromarketing, education, gaming), the issue of human enhancement vs. human achievement.
Beginning with a description of the state of the art of neuroscience and neurotechnologies, the focus will be to discuss on the anthropological and ethical level, the impact on dignity, personal identity, freedom, and justice.
The human-centric and person-centric perspective emerging from the different contributions aims to facilitate adequate information shaping of the social debate, in order to enable critical awareness of the topic, and, hopefully, to identify and elaborate answers to questions.
The final objective of the project is to argue, in a scientifically grounded and philosophically justified way (complementary to a religious perspective), the necessity of a person-centric perspective in neuroscience and neurotechnologies, in the interface with AI.
Study Group Coordinators
CARRARA Alberto (Italy)
PALAZZANI Laura (Italy)
COMORETTO Nunziata (PAV)
Study Group Members
ANDORNO Roberto (Switzerland)
BELLVER CAPELLA Vicente (Spain)
BUCHANAN Robert (USA)
CHNEIWEISS Hervé (France)
DE MONTALVO JÄÄSKELÄINEN Federico (Spain)
IENCA Marcello (Germany)
LEONARDI Matilde (Italy)
POSTIGO SOLANA Elena María (Spain)
RAINEY Stephen (Ireland)
SIMPORE Jacques Koudoubi (Burkina Faso)
VAN DEN HOVEN Jeroen (Netherland)
International Workshop (Rome, 11 December 2026)
The workshop will be primarily devoted to the public presentation of the document drawn up by the Study Group, which contains recommendations on the main issues that emerged during the course of the proceedings. It will be open to the public, subject to registration, subject to the venue’s capacity, and an online link will also be provided to enable remote participation.