Being a researcher of the brain mapping device, it is often a worrying matter that the discovery of mine will result to unethical abuses. It is therefore significant for me to predict the areas of usage of this device and create preventions for it. The areas of potential unethical abuses for the brain mapping device include the testing of children, testing of employee and the storing of a patient’s brain scan data.
Firstly, it is an unethical abuse to use the brain mapping device on children. By deciding the child’s fate based on the brain scan data, it is unfair to the child himself or herself. A talent in a child does not mean an interest to him or her. Parents should let their children to develop their own interest and help them to build their dreams to success. Therefore, brain scan should not be used on children to determine their fate, which is unfair to them; any areas of skills can be trained.
Secondly, it is also unethical to use the device on employee. Using the case of Nancy (Ethics and mapping the brain, Lou Marano), she was fired due to the brain scan showing that she is familiar to assault rifles. Despite her qualifications and skills, because of the brain scan results, she was rejected. Although assault rifle is familiar to Nancy, it does not mean she will do any harm. Thus, employer should not use the brain scan device to determine their chosen employees.
Thirdly, storing patient’s brain scan data is unethical. If the brain scan is used to help for treatment of brain related diseases, then it is forgivable. If after the treatment is done, and the brain scan data of the patient is still stored, then it might be considered as intruding the privacy of the patient. A brain scan data consists of all the information of a person. Therefore, the device should not be used to store a patient’s brain scan data, but to erase them after using it to treat brain related diseases.
From the three areas of discussion, they show the areas of potential unethical abuses. By knowing the areas of abuses, I can then set up preventions to them. In brief, the device should not be abused and I can approach the government to set laws and regulations to allow places such as hospitals to use them only.
2 comments:
Hi,
It is really surprised that people can use the device to scan the brain and predict the future. In you article, you give the clear example and cases about the abuse of this technology. And the solution is quite useful in the future.
The points that Terence has mentioned are very true and it should be beneficial to the people but somehow it seems like it is used to control one's fate. Take for example the fate of children are determined by their parents doing the comparison of their brain scans with the famous inventors. The case of Nancy being fired due to her brain scan of being familiar with assault rifles also cause her to lose her job, it could be just her interest on rifles but there was a wrong interpretation. I would agree with Terence that law and regulations should come in early to prevent people abusing the use of brain-scanning.
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