Scientific Freedom, Responsibility, and the Law

A new AAAS publication

"Ultimately, what neuroscience teaches us about human behavior could inform how we think about some of the core constructs of the law-including free will and responsibility, competency, and witness veracity. Considering how developments in neuroscience might interact with the law led AAAS to convene a meeting with participants drawn from both the legal and neuroscience communities. Lawyers, judges, legal scholars, philosophers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists engaged in a dialogue on the relationship between neuroscience and law, and sought to contribute to the larger public discourse by identifying some central issues and suggesting directions for future efforts....Among the questions raised by the participants are:

How will advances in neuroscientific methods for predicting behavior impact the legal system, and how will our society use these advances?

What would neuroscience-based lie detection mean for witnesses testifying in court?

How might neuroscientific knowledge put people at risk for discrimination in schools, the workplace, and elsewhere?

Are there either benefits or risks to justice and society from enhancing or modifying one's brain through pharmacological or other technologies?

What roles will the legal system play in the societal debate over human enhancement?"