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The New Brain Sciences
Perils and Prospects
Thelasttwentyyearshaveseenanexplosionofresearchand
developmentsintheneurosciences.Indeed,somehavecalledthis
firstdecadeofthetwenty-firstcentury‘thedecadeofthemind’.
Anall-encompassingterm,neurosciencecoverssuchfieldsas
biology,psychology,neurology,psychiatryandphilosophyandinclude
anatomy,physiology,molecularbiology,geneticsandbehaviour.Itis
nowamajorindustrywithbillionsofdollarsoffundinginvestedfrom
bothpublicandprivatesectors.
Hugeprogresshasbeenmadeinourunderstandingofthebrain
anditsfunctions.However,withprogresscomescontroversy,
responsibilityanddilemma.TheNewBrainSciences:Perilsand
Prospectsexaminestheimplicationsofrecentdiscoveriesintermsof
oursenseofindividualresponsibilityandpersonhood.Aimedat
neuroscientists,psychologists,philosophers,medicalprofessionals,
studentsandthegeneralpublicalike,itisanattempttokick-starta
discussionofwhereneuroscienceisgoing.
SirDai Rees isKnightBachelor,aFellowoftheRoyalSociety,an
HonoraryFellowoftheRoyalCollegeofPhysiciansandafounding
FellowoftheRoyalAcademyofMedicine.HewasPresidentofthe
EuropeanScienceFoundation(1993–9)andSecretaryandChief
ExecutiveoftheUKMedicalResearchCouncil(1987–96).
ProfessorSteven Rose hasbeenProfessorofBiologyandDirectorof
theBrainandBehaviourResearchGroupattheOpenUniversitysince
theinceptionoftheuniversityin1969.Hisresearchfocussesonthe
cellularandmolecularmechanismsoflearningandmemory.
The New Brain Sciences
Perils and Prospects
edited by
dai rees and steven rose
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521830096
© Cambridge University Press 2004
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2004
ISBN-13 978-0-511-33699-7 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-10 0-511-33699-3 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-83009-6 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-83009-5 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-53714-8 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-53714-2 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
Listofcontributors page viii
PartI Introduction:thenewbrainsciences 1
Introduction:thenewbrainsciences 3
steven rose
PartII Freedomtochange 15
1 Doweeverreallyact? 17
mary midgley
2 Thedefinitionofhumannature 34
merlin w. donald
3 Consciousnessandthelimitsofneurobiology 59
hilary rose
4 Mindmetaphors,neurosciencesandethics 71
regine kollek
5 Geneticandgenericdeterminism:anewthreatto
freewill? 88
peter lipton
PartIII Neuroscienceandthelaw 101
6 Humanaction,neuroscienceandthelaw 103
alexander m call smith
C
7 Responsibilityandthelaw 123
stephen sedley
vi contents
8 Programmedorlicensedtokill?Thenewbiology
offemicide 131
lorraine radford
9 Genes,responsibilityandthelaw 149
patrick bateson
PartIV Stewardshipofthenewbrainsciences 165
10 Theneurosciences:thedangerthatwewillthink
thatwehaveunderstooditall 167
yadin dudai
11 Ondissectingthegeneticbasisofbehaviourand
intelligence 181
angus clarke
12 Prospectsandperilsofstemcellrepairofthe
centralnervoussystem:abriefguideto
currentscience 195
helen hodges, iris reuter and
helen pilcher
13 Theuseofhumanembryonicstemcellsfor
research:anethicalevaluation 213
guido de wert
14 TheProzacstory 223
john cornwell
15 Psychopharmacologyattheinterfacebetween
themarketandthenewbiology 232
david healy
16 EducationintheageofRitalin 249
paul cooper
contents vii
PartV Conclusion 263
Conclusion 265
dai rees and barbro westerholm
References 276
Index 285
Contributors
ProfessorPatrickBateson,TheProvost’sLodge,King’sCollege,
CambridgeCB21ST,UK.
PatrickBatesonisProfessorofEthology,andProvostofKing’s
College,Cambridge.HewasformerlyDirectorofthe
Sub-DepartmentofAnimalBehaviouratCambridgeandlater
HeadoftheDepartmentofZoology.HeiscurrentlyBiological
SecretaryandVice-PresidentoftheRoyalSociety.Hisresearchis
onthebehaviouraldevelopmentofanimals,andmuchofhis
scientificcareerhasbeenconcernedwithbridgingthegapbetween
thestudiesofbehaviourandthoseofunderlyingmechanisms,
focussingontheprocessofimprintinginbirds.Hehasalsocarried
outresearchonbehaviouraldevelopmentinmammals,
particularlycats.HismostrecentbookisDesignforaLife(with
PaulMartin,1999).
ProfessorAngusClarke,DepartmentofMedicalGenetics,
UniversityofWalesCollegeofMedicine,HeathPark,CardiffCF4
4XN,UK.
AngusClarkeisamedicallyqualifiedgeneticistandcurrently
ProfessorinClinicalGeneticsattheUniversityofWales,Cardiff.
Hehasparticularinterestsinthesocialandethicalissuesraised
byadvancesinhumangeneticsandinthegeneticcounselling
process,whilealsoteachingandworkingasaclinician.Hehas
workedontheclinicalandmoleculargeneticaspectsof
ectodermaldysplasia,Rettsyndromeandneuromuscular
disorders.WithhiscolleaguePeterHarper,hewrotethebook
Genetics,SocietyandClinicalPractice(HarperandClarke,1997).
HedirectstheCardiffMSccourseinGeneticCounselling.
Description:This is a fascinating book that has been assembled by two of the intellectual powerhouses of British medicine and biology.
In the introduction, Steven Rose, who has been a Professor of Biology and Director of the Brain and Behavior Research Group at the Open University since 1969, calls the neurosci
