The Italian Society for Neuroethics and the International Neuroethics Society are glad to announce the
Call for Papers
for the 13th edition of the International Scientific Conference on Neuroethics
Neuroethics in a Time of Global Crises
Meetings on Neuroscience and Society, XIII Edition
May 11th – 13th, 2022
University of Milan and Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan (Italy)
The Conference will be organized keeping our eyes open on how the pandemic will develop in the next months. More detailed information will be provided as soon as possible.
Keynote Speakers (among others)
Judy Illes (University of British Columbia) – awarded the 2022 SINe medal
Giorgio Vallortigara (University of Trento) – awarded the 2022 SINe medal
Patrizia Brigidi (University of Bologna)
Marco Dorigo (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Joseph J. Fins (Weill Cornell Medical College, INS President)
Natalie Gold (London School of Economics and Political Science)
Ralph Hertwig (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin)
Angela Sirigu (ISC CNRS)
Matteo Sozzi (SPAN President– AIP)
Conference Topics
Recent global crises (environmental, sanitary, economic) are having a transformative impact on our social and individual lifestyle, contributing to redefining the boundaries of traditional neuroethical debates. With respect to this overarching issue, the Conference will feature five thematic sessions:
- The Neuroethics of Nudging
The recent global crises have fueled debate and controversy on the acceptability of soft and forceful public policies and interventions, e.g., to protect public health by increasing vaccine uptake or to heighten people’s environmental awareness. With many individuals clinging to misinformation and fears, what is the potential and what should be the limits of the tools (e.g., nudging) that can be used to predictably alter people’s behaviors?
2. Evolutionary and Comparative Anthropology, Medicine, and Psychology
Drawing on evolutionary theory, sociobiology is a field of study focusing on the biological basis of animal social behavior. A most central topic consists in the study of the mechanisms of cooperation and organization in human and non-human animals. In the light of a growing vulnerability to environmental problems, what lessons can be drawn from the organizational models of other species for our society today?
3. Global Crises’ Impact on Health and the Brain
The impact of the recent global crises has been shown to go beyond the immediate risk of being infected with a disease or temporarily forced to stay at home. Coping with stress, fear, and isolation for a prolonged amount of time has taken a worrisome toll on people’s mental health. Given the urgency of the challenge, what are likely to be the most worrisome effects and the most effective countermeasures that people of today will experience?
4. Telehealth in a Time of Crises
Telehealth consists in the usage of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to provide health-related services, ranging from medical examination to remote surgery. During the coronavirus pandemic, with the more traditional health-care systems risking being overwhelmed, the reliance on telehealth has skyrocketed due to an unprecedented demand. Against the backdrop of existing digital inequality and the concentration of digital power, what are likely to be the challenges, opportunities, and impact of large-scale telehealth in the near future?
5. Neuroethics and the Environment
The relationship between neuroethics and the environment is an emerging interdisciplinary field addressing the influences that the environment has on brain and mental health as well as the related ethical concerns about social justice. To what extent do the recent global crisis contribute to redefining such ongoing debates?
As neuroethics has always been an interdisciplinary field, the conference aims at promoting a debate among different scholars and different research areas. Contributions are welcome in all thematic sessions and can be experimental, theoretical, analytical, or critical works. Limited slots will be devoted to other issues in neuroethics.
Submission Guidelines and Attendance
Participants can only send one contribution as first authors, but they can appear as second authors of other contributions.
Abstracts must be submitted through EasyChair.
Any request of information should be sent to convegno@societadineuroetica.it.
Abstracts must be ready for double blind review and should not exceed 300 words, plus 10 reference records (that will not be considered in the word count). Authors should indicate in their submission the topic (only one) for which they intend to contribute.
Abstracts can be either in English or in Italian, according to the language chosen for the presentation. However, since the audience is international, we warmly encourage submissions in English.
Best Paper Prize
This year, SINe will grant two prizes: one for the best paper in philosophy and one for the best paper in neuroscience. The authors willing to participate in the competition for best paper should select “SINe Best Paper Prize – Philosophy” or “SINe Best Paper Prize – Neuroscience”. They will also have to upload a longer version of the abstract (up to 1000 words, references excluded) in the “paper” section. The lack of either the selection of the category or of the long abstract will constitute an excluding condition. The Prize will consist in the SINe membership paid for two years. The selection will be made based on the quality of the long abstract.
Deadlines and Reviewing Process
The deadline for abstract submission is March 3rd, 2022.
Notification of acceptance will be given by March 30th, 2022.
Abstracts will be subject to blind review. Reviewers will be selected from members of the Italian Society for Neuroethics and from experts in the field.
Accepted papers will have 20 minutes for presentation, plus 10 minutes for discussion.
Conference Program
The Conference Program will be available on the website of the Italian Society for Neuroethics (https://societadineuroetica.wordpress.com).
Scientific and Organizing Committee
Federico Gustavo Pizzetti (University of Milan, SINe President)
Joseph J. Fins (Weill Cornell Medical College, INS President)
Michela Balconi (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan)
Sofia Bonicalzi (Roma Tre University)
Matteo Cerri (University of Bologna)
Mario De Caro (Roma Tre University – Tufts University)
Michele Di Francesco (IUSS, Pavia)
Marcello Ienca (EPFL)
Andrea Lavazza (Centro Universitario Internazionale, Arezzo)
Silvia Pellegrini (University of Pisa)
Massimo Reichlin (Vita-Salute San Raffaele University)
Sarah Songhorian (Vita-Salute San Raffaele University)
Organizing Secretary
Sofia Bonicalzi and Sarah Songhorian
e-mail: convegno@societadineuroetica.it