Consciousness and the Ethics of Human Brain Organoid Research.

The moral status of human brain organoids is often tied to whether they possess consciousness, with the degree of consciousness determining the level of research protections they deserve. This view aligns with a common neurological stance that consciousness admits of degrees. The author argues that this correlation between degrees of consciousness and moral status is mistaken. An alternative account of how moral status relates to consciousness is offered, along with the epistemic implications for research protections that follow from this revised view.

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Abstract

The possibility of consciousness in human brain organoids is sometimes viewed as determinative in terms of the moral status such entities possess, and, in turn, in terms of the research protections such entities are due. This commonsense view aligns with a prominent stance in neurology and neuroscience that consciousness admits of degrees. My paper outlines these views and provides an argument for why this picture of correlating degrees of consciousness with moral status and research protections is mistaken. I then provide an alternative account of the correlation between moral status and consciousness, and consider the epistemic ramifications for research protections of this account.