From a Neuroscience of Pain to¡a Neuroethics of Care

Science now offers us ever more advanced ways to understand and control
pain. But with those new treatments come new questions about the use
(and misuse) of state-of-the-art technology and how far pain management
can and should go. Is pain a symptom or a disease? How much pain should
be relieved? Can reducing pain be inappropriate or detrimental? Can
technologies capable of scanning the brain tell us whether a patient is
really experiencing pain? And what questions arise in confronting (and
treating) pain in animals and other non-human beings?
On November 13, the Center for Neurotechnology Studies at the Potomac
Institute for Policy Studies will present the lecture “From a
Neuroscience of Pain to a Neuroethics of Care” by Prof. James Giordano,
internationally known for his work on the neuroscience and neuroethics
of pain. The program will address the neuroscientific progress achieved
during the Congressionally-designated Decade of Pain Control and
Research, and discuss the ethical implications of this knowledge for
medicine, and society at large. Researchers are now looking ahead to a
Decade of the Mind, and this lecture raises questions about whether what
we know about pain will both guide and be guided by what we seek to
learn about the mind, and the nature of self and others.
What: CCNELSI Lecture: “From a Neuroscience of Pain to a
Neuroethics of Care”
Who: James Giordano, Ph.D.
Where: Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 North Stuart
Street, Suite 200, Arlington, VA, 22203
When: November 13, 2009, 3:30 – 6:00 pm
More info: www.ccnelsi.com
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3),
not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute
identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science,
technology, and national security issues facing our society. From these
discussions and forums, we develop meaningful policy options and ensure
their implementation at the intersection of business and government.

Source: Business Wire