Neuroethics and Pluri-Epistemic Perspectives: A Critical Review of the State of the Art

This chapter critically analyzes the evolution of neuroethics as an interdisciplinary field that emerged from developments in the neurosciences, neurotechnologies, and artificial intelligence. Traditionally, neuroethics has focused on the ethical dilemmas arising from the study of and intervention in the human brain, addressing issues such as autonomy, moral responsibility, personal identity, mental privacy, and the limits of neuroenhancement. The text argues, however, that the field has been dominated by Western, naturalist, and technoscientific epistemological frameworks that tend to reduce moral phenomena to neural correlates, leaving historical, cultural, and social dimensions in the background. Drawing on a critical review of recent literature (2019–2026), the chapter identifies a shift toward a global, intercultural, and pluri-epistemic neuroethics oriented toward recognizing the coexistence of multiple forms of knowledge and of understandings of the mind. This approach promotes dialogue among scientific, philosophical, Indigenous, community-based, and non-Western knowledges, incorporating principles of epistemic inclusion and participatory governance. Methodological innovations based on mixed, participatory, and intercultural approaches are also highlighted. The chapter concludes that contemporary neuroethics must move beyond reductionist approaches and advance toward a perspective capable of integrating cultural diversity, scientific rigor, and social responsibility. From this standpoint, neuroethics is redefined as a space of critical dialogue aimed at promoting cognitive justice, the protection of neurorights, and a more complex and inclusive understanding of the relationship among brain, mind, culture, and society.