Laurens Landeweerd

This book revitalizes the relevance of the ideas of Henri Bergson (1859-1941) for current developments in exact sciences. The book explores the relevance of Bergson's thought for contemporary philosophical reflections on three of the most important scientific research areas of today, namely physics (time), synthetic biology (life) and neurobiology (consciousness and memory). Henri Bergson (1859-1941) was one of the most prolific authors of his era and one of the most widely read philosophers. The European public was frantically seeking for answers to questions of the soul and the nature of life and fitting within a historical niche, his writings drew much attention.This work focuses on the relevance of his philosophy for developments in exact sciences today. The discussion of physics in relation to the abstract and the concrete, biology in relation to concepts of life and emerging research fields in synthetic biology, and neuropsychology in relation to the technical nature of human identity, focuses on one main topic: time. Time, isolated from experience, as the measure of the events in the universe in modern physics; time as the measure of emergent systems in evolution as the backdrop of the theory of evolution in biology; time in relation to memory and imagination in neuropsychological accounts of memory.The author thus discusses the ideas of Henri Bergson as a basis to unveil time as a living process, rather than as an instrument for the measure of events. An exciting book for academics interested in the interplay between hard sciences and philosophy.

Bergson and Contemporary Science

Time, Life & Memory

Erik Thorstensen

Ellen-Marie Forsberg

Clare Shelley-Egan

Bjorn Hofmann

This book offers the policy-maker or decision-maker key insights and practical information regarding the features of ethics frameworks best suited to the ethical assessment of human cognitive enhancement (HCE) applications, such as pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers and noninvasive brain stimulation techniques. This book takes as its departure point the entrenched philosophical debate between opponents and proponents of HCE and the increased feasibility of some applications of HCE. Recent calls for policy-making in the area of human enhancement reflect the need to find a balance between addressing current ethical issues and issues that are more speculative in nature or are underpinned by abstract philosophical concepts. Practical ethical approaches for policy or decision-making should enable the development of an evidence base for the risks and benefits of HCE applications. Moreover, such practical approaches should also incorporate a broader range of value bases that would facilitate convergence regarding certain decisions and judgements. This book identifies and evaluate tools that help us to go beyond polarised philosophical debates in order to assist practical decision makers in concrete ethical deliberation and decision-making. The focus is on systematic methods with which to identify relevant ethical values and assess the impacts of an HCE application on those values in order to facilitate decision-making regarding the ethical acceptability or desirability of the application.

Laurens Landeweerd

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