The Oxford Neuroethics Lecture 2027

Presented by Professor Katrina Sifferd (Interim Dean, School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at Elmhurst College).

Commentary by Professor Tom Douglas (Interim Director of the Uehiro Oxford Institute and Professor of Applied Philosophy at University of Oxford).

Responsibility for wrongdoing seems like a moral issue, not a scientific one. But brain science has a surprisingly important role to play in issues of criminal responsibility, not only supporting our ethical intuitions about it but also helping us understand who is responsible, and for what. For example, brain dysfunction or immaturity can disrupt reasoning and decision processes, thereby providing an excuse. Neuroscience can also inform how we punish: Understanding how solitary confinement and chemical castration impact the brain can help us see why those punishments are ethically unacceptable, while certain punishments that target decision-making processes can treat offenders humanely and reduce recidivism. Brain science has also been invoked to assess future dangerousness in parole or probation decisions, but these uses are riddled with ethical dangers and should be treated with great caution.

Join us as Prof. Katrina Sifferd, together with commentator Prof. Tom Douglas, explores one of the most thought-provoking areas of neuroethics: what neuroscience can tell us about criminal responsibility, and how insights into the brain might challenge the way we think about punishment, rehabilitation, and justice.

When: Friday 8 January, 17:00.

Where: The Humanities Lecture Theatre, Schwarzman Centre, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6GG. 

This event is followed by a drinks reception at the Foyer Bar, next to the lecture theatre.

Registration Registration will be open soon