it a good thing. The real beauty is that after the procedure you would be fine with it. If we went the other way, everyone would end up saying ‘you shouldn’t alter other people’s brains, even if it does solve the world’s problems. It’s naughty and unnatural. Hmph.’
Unfortunately, VMPC damage also seems to dampen social emotions such as guilt and compassion. The surgery makes utilitarian reasoning easier, but so too complete immorality, meaning it might not be the answer for everyone just yet.
Some think the most important implications of the research are actually those for moral philosophy. The researchers suggest it shows humans are unfit to make utilitarian judgements. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to figure that out though. Count the number of dollars you spend on unnecessary amusements each year in full knowledge people starving due to poverty.
In the past we could tell moral questions were prompting action in emotional parts of the brain, but it wasn’t clear whether the activity was influencing the decision or just the result of it. If the latter, VMPC damage shouldn’t have changed actions. It does – so while non-utilitarianism is a fine theoretical position, it is seemingly practiced for egoistic reasons.
Can this insight into cognition settle the centuries of philosophical debate and show utilitarianism is a bad position? No. Why base your actions on what you feel like doing, discounting all other outcomes? All it says about utilitarianism is that it doesn’t come easily to the human mind.
This research is just another bit of evidence that moral reasoning is guided by evolution and brain design, not some transcendental truth in the sky. It may still be useful of course, like other skills our mind provides us with, like a capacity to value things, a preference for being alive, and the ability to tell pleasure from pain.
Next time you are in a morally fraught argument, consider what Ghandi said: “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary’” He’s right; genetic modification would be more long-lasting. Until this is available though, why not try something persuasive like a scalpel to the forehead?
Originally published in Woroni