philosophy of cognitive enhancement
TRANSCRIPT
March 8, 2015, Los Angeles CA
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Melanie [email protected]
Cognitive Enhancement:
Philosophical Implications of
Contemporary Neural Nanoscience Advance
Image credit: 1024x.net
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement 2
About Melanie Swan
Founder DIYgenomics, science and technology innovator and philosopher
Singularity University Instructor, IEET Affiliate Scholar, EDGE Contributor
Education: MBA Finance, Wharton; BA French/Economics, Georgetown Univ
Work experience: Fidelity, JP Morgan, iPass, RHK/Ovum, Arthur Andersen
Sample publications:
Source: http://melanieswan.com/publications.htm
Kido T, Kawashima M, Nishino S, Swan M, Kamatani N, Butte AJ. Systematic Evaluation of Personal Genome Services for Japanese Individuals. Nature: Journal of Human Genetics 2013, 58, 734-741.
Swan, M. The Quantified Self: Fundamental Disruption in Big Data Science and Biological Discovery. Big Data June 2013, 1(2): 85-99.
Swan, M. Sensor Mania! The Internet of Things, Wearable Computing, Objective Metrics, and the Quantified Self 2.0. J Sens Actuator Netw 2012, 1(3), 217-253. Swan, M. Health 2050: The Realization of Personalized Medicine through Crowdsourcing, the Quantified Self, and the Participatory Biocitizen. J Pers Med 2012, 2(3), 93-118.
Swan, M. Steady advance of stem cell therapies. Rejuvenation Res 2011, Dec;14(6):699-704. Swan, M. Multigenic Condition Risk Assessment in Direct-to-Consumer Genomic Services. Genet Med 2010,
May;12(5):279-88.
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement 3
Neural Nanomedicine Advances
Pathology resolution and cognitive enhancement
Drug delivery, neural tissue engineering, repair, biomolecular imaging, DNA nanotechnology
Medical nanorobots
Respirocytes Microbivore Artery Cleaner
Drug Delivery Nanoparticles
VasculocyteClottocytes
Neural TissueDNA Nanotechnology Quantum Dot DyesFarther future
Present
Source: Swan, M. Top ten recent nanomedical advances. Book chapter in Clinical Nanomedicine: from Bench to Bedside 2011, Forthcoming. Holliday Junction: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130321141448.ht
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement 4
Philosophical Argument
Cognitive enhancement is the targeted improvement of natural human abilities Augmentation of human skills, attributes, and
competencies through the use of technology, medicine, and therapy designed to replace or increase human performance capability
Level I: Improved capacities: memory, information-seeking, coordination, planning; cognitive offload
Level II: Accelerated subjectivation: the ability to extend our capacity by becoming ‘more’ of who we are and can be more quickly
Sources: Swan, M. Cognitive Applications of Blockchain Technology. Cognitive Science 2015.Hildt, Cognitive Enhancement, 2013; www.nickbostrom.com/cognitive.pdf
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement
Top 6 Cognitive Enhancement Killer Apps
1. Memory Enhancement and Blocking
2. Innovation Spikes and Creativity
3. The Qualitative: Internal Subjective Experience
4. Connectome Mapping and Personal Identity
5. Complexity and Neuroscience
6. Deep Learning and Causality
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Neocortical Neurogenesis in Mammalslafayette.edu
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement
Scopolamine and propranolol block glutamate and ß-adrenergic neurotransmitter receptors
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App 1: Memory Management
Sources: http://www.sinpos.com/publicaciones, http://www.imp.ac.at/news/press-releases/press-release/press-release-a-trace-of-memory/
Donepezil (cholinesterase inhibitor), Ampakines (benzamide compounds), and MEM 1414 (increases CREB): alertness, attention,
learning, memory, excitatory transmission
Memory BlockingMemory Enhancing
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement
The Meditating Brain
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App 2: Innovation Spikes
Sources: Wan X, Improvisations. PLoS One. 2014 Dec 9;9(12)., http://brainworldmagazine.com/the-aha-moment/#sthash.ApvGH3BR.dpuf, Parvizi, J. et al. The will to persevere. Neuron. 2013 Dec 18;80(6):1359-67
Gamma WavesAnterior Cingulate Cortex: An imminent challenge
followed by a determined attitude to overcome
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App 3: The Qualitative
Sources: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00891/full, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/decoding-body-watcher/
Different brain systems engaged in sublimity: inferior temporal cortex,
posterior hippocampus, and inferior/middle frontal gyri
The Sublime and the Beautiful
Interoceptive attention directs neural representations of the
body’s internal state
Internal/External Attention Locus
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App 4: Connectome and Identity
Sources: Allen Brain Atlas,,http://www.brain-map.org/, https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101319050523971, http://nautil.us/issue/9/time/why-we-procrastinate
Connectome Mapping: Possibility of Sharing Experience
Personal Identity
Immersive Reality Headsets: real-time experiences “you feel like you are actually
present with others in another place”
Re: Delayed gratification, we procrastinate because we think of
our future selves as strangers
medial prefrontal cortex and rostral anterior cingulate cortex
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App 5: Complexity and Neuroscience
Sources: Tognoli1, E. Enlarging the scope: grasping brain complexity. Front Syst Neurosci. 2014; 8: 122. Kelso, JAS. Multistability and metastability: dynamic coordination in the brain. Philos Trans R. 2012, 906–918.
Neural circuits originate spatiotemporal signatures for
attention, somatosensation and motor coordination in social situations
Reconcile the ability of the brain to create information flows with the propensity for
synchronization and mass action
Sociality NeuromarkersCoordination Dynamics
and Metastability
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App 6: Deep Learning and Causality
Sources: Ciresan, D., Deep Neural Networks Segment Neuronal Membranes in Electron Microscopy Images. NIPS 2012. Stetson, C. (2006). Motor-Sensory Recalibration. Neuron. 51. pp. 651–9.
Artificial neural networks pixel classifiers segment and map 3D neural membrane
microstructure and connectivity
Neuron segmentation in electron microscopy stacks
Brain maintains a recalibrated representation of timing, and a less-plastic comparison representation
Judging Causality
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Philosophical Implications
Ability to work with memory, attention, sociality, temporality, and causality means new forms of awareness about our existence and reality
Cognitive offload produces more time for innovation, creativity, and enjoyment
New self understanding through accessing and mapping the quantitative and qualitative of internal experience
This is how we can achieve accelerated subjectivation, beyond just the practicalities of better memory
Sources: Swan, M. Cognitive Applications of Blockchain Technology. Cognitive Science 2015.Hildt, Cognitive Enhancement, 2013; www.nickbostrom.com/cognitive.pdf
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement
Philosophy of Cognitive Enhancement
The branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of cognitive enhancement Internal practices generalized External impact evaluated
3 classes of philosophical concerns Ontology (existence, reality): What is it?
What does it mean? Epistemology (knowledge): What is
knowledge here? Proof standard? Valorization (ethics, aesthetics): What is
noticed, overlooked? What is ethical practice? What is beauty, elegance?
13Sources: Swan, M. Cognitive Applications of Blockchain Technology. Cognitive Science 2015.Hildt, Cognitive Enhancement, 2013; www.nickbostrom.com/cognitive.pdf
March 2015Cognitive Enhancement
Conclusions
The objective of neural nanoscience advance is not only pathology resolution but also cognitive enhancement
Translational cognitive enhancement applications in development for memory, creativity, attention, identity, causality
Possibility of targeting qualitative aspects of neuroscience, subjective experience, and lived existence to better produce our future selves as biocitizens
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March 8, 2015, Los Angeles CA
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Melanie [email protected]
Cognitive Enhancement:
Philosophical Implications of
Contemporary Neural Nanoscience Advance
Thank you!Questions?
Image credit: 1024x.net