In six vignette-based experiments, we assessed people's moral reactions towards various cognition-enhancing brain implants, including their overall approval and perceived fairness, as well as the dehumanization of brain-implanted agents. Across the domains of memory (Studies 1–4, 6), general intelligence (Study 5A), and emotional stability (Study 5B), people in general approved of alleviating ailments, and even of attaining optimal human performance, but expressed greater opposition towards superhuman levels of enhancement. Further analyses of individual differences indicated that the tendency to condemn transhumanist technologies, such as brain implants, was linked to sexual disgust sensitivity and the binding moral foundations – two characteristic correlates of a conservative worldview. In turn, exposure to science fiction was tied to greater approval of brain implants. We also examined potential idiosyncrasies associated with our stimulus materials and did not find reliable effects of any secondary factors on moral attitudes. Taken together, our studies reveal certain moral boundaries to neurotechnological enhancement, strong among those with conservative affective and moral dispositions but relaxed among those familiar with science fiction themes.

在六个基于小插曲的实验中，我们评估了人们对各种增强认知的大脑植入物的道德反应，包括他们的整体认可和感知公平性，以及大脑植入物的非人性化。在记忆（研究 1-4、6）、一般智力（研究 5A）和情绪稳定性（研究 5B）的各个领域，人们普遍赞成减轻疾病，甚至赞成获得最佳的人类表现，但更反对超人的增强水平。对个体差异的进一步分析表明，谴责大脑植入等超人类主义技术的倾向与性厌恶敏感性和具有约束力的道德基础有关——这是保守世界观的两个特征相关性。反过来，接触科幻小说与更多地批准大脑植入物有关。我们还检查了与我们的刺激材料相关的潜在特质，并没有发现任何次要因素对道德态度的可靠影响。总而言之，我们的研究揭示了神经技术增强的某些道德界限，在那些具有保守情感和道德倾向的人中很强，但在那些熟悉科幻主题的人中很放松。