The Good Life
AbstractThis chapter introduces Aristotle’s version of the good life. The Greek term is eudaimonia but I will use the words ‘fulfilled’, ‘happy’ and ‘good’ interchangeably when I refer to this type of...
View ArticleThree Enhancement Methods
AbstractLooking around the globe the same dismal scenario repeats itself: in the face of glaring evidence humans are led to make bad decisions by greed, selfishness, lack of responsibility, low...
View ArticleExamples of Useful Capacities
AbstractThis chapter will provide concrete examples of a number of moral and epistemic virtues and show how they can help people in general to live better lives in the modern society. By ‘better’ it...
View ArticleConclusion
AbstractLooking around the world today it is quite clear that a great many are not leading as good a life as they potentially could. Here it has been suggested that this situation could, to some...
View ArticleCritique of Virtue Ethics
AbstractIn the last few chapters it has been argued that the life of virtue is the best, happiest and most desirable life. Even accepting that, one might wonder whether or not it is possible to have...
View ArticleAristotle’s Virtues and How to Acquire Them
AbstractNow the turn has come to say more both about which virtues, and capacities, Aristotle had in mind and how agents are expected to acquire them. While the focus in this chapter is on the...
View ArticleThe Biological Obstacles
AbstractThis chapter focuses on the biological obstacles that stand between us and the type of good decision-making which enables us to live the happy life. Recent scientific studies indicate that our...
View ArticleThe Problem
AbstractLooking around the world today two things are obvious: (1) humans are severely challenged in the area of rational decision-making, and (2) as a result of e.g. technological developments society...
View ArticleConclusions
AbstractOn providing a brief summary of the arguments presented in the book Chap. 6 turns to discuss the potential for combining a wider range of life-style practices for greater effects. Examples...
View ArticleThe Neurophysiological Background
AbstractThis chapter begins by providing a schematic review of the neurophysiological background for the development of a set of capacities e.g. cognitive flexibility, meta awareness and emotional...
View ArticleSome Key Elements of Virtue Ethics
AbstractThe purpose of this chapter is two-fold. In Part A we explain some key aspects of virtue ethics e.g. including eudaimonia (the good life), the concept of the virtues and the development of...
View ArticleThe Methods
AbstractChapter 1 introduced the key ideas and identified the need for cognitive improvements. The first half of Chap. 2 consisted of a schematic review of the neurophysiological background for the...
View ArticleIntroduction
AbstractThis chapter provides a background and a schematic overview of the book. In this volume we argue that meditation enables us to influence some aspects of our biological make-up and could, for...
View ArticleCognitive Flexibility
AbstractThis chapter takes a closer look at cognitive flexibility. Firstly, we define this core cognitive capacity and explain why it is good to have it to a high degree. Secondly, we examine the link...
View ArticleCognitive Enhancement and the Principle of Need
AbstractIn this article we argue that(i) the principle of need, on some interpretations, could be used to justify the spending of publically funded health care resources on cognitive enhancement...
View ArticleHow to be a Virtuous Recipient of a Transplant Organ
AbstractThis chapter investigates to what extent recipients of transplant organs ought to be held morally accountable for lifestyle choices that jeopardize the function of their new organ and, further,...
View ArticleFriendly AI
AbstractIn this paper we discuss what we believe to be one of the most important features of near-future AIs, namely their capacity to behave in a friendly manner to humans. Our analysis of what it...
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