The research into neuroscience from an STS (Science & Technology Studies) perspective underscores the necessity of encompassing social, political, and cultural contexts to shape the field; it also focuses on how neuroscientific knowledge is generated and impacting society. By exploring the multifaceted relationship between science and society, STS offers an essential framework through which the influence of neuroscience on human life and societal norms can be understood.
At the intersection of human identity and technology, cyborg theories unearth the transformational power of technology on the way humans perceive and experience themselves. This, in the neuroscience arena, translates into examining how advancements in the field are redefining our concepts of the brain and human consciousness. These theories are particularly illuminating for understanding the ramifications of neuroenhancement technologies that aspire to heighten or amplify human abilities.
Additionally, crip technoscience refers to an interdisciplinary paradigm that integrates science, technology, and disability studies— placing individuals with disabilities at the forefront as knowers and makers. This viewpoint further delves into the role of social, political, and cultural factors in shaping technology and science as well as molding our understanding of disability and the daily lives of persons with disabilities. The essence of this approach is to analyze how neuroscientific knowledge and neurotechnologies mold our perception of disability and influence the experiences of participants with disabilities in neuroscientific trials and in the application of neurotechnologies.
This project aims to offer a unique glimpse into the intersection of neuroscience, technology, human identity, and disability by amalgamating the perspectives from cyborg theories and crip technoscience. Through the scrutiny of the interaction between science, technology, and society, it will reveal how neuroscience and associated technologies are informing our perception of the brain, both from human and disability perspectives.
Related projects
Neuroenhancement: Practices and Techniques
Neuroenhancement refers to the use of various methods to improve cognitive performance and enhance learning and working strategies. This can include the use of drugs, brain stimulation techniques, or other technologies. The goal of neuroenhancement is to improve the efficiency and productivity of individuals, allowing them to manage increased workloads and meet demanding deadlines. The project aims to analyze the use of neuroenhancement practices to manage increased workload and pressure in Turkey. The project is designed to make information about these practices and technologies accessible to individuals who are struggling with high workloads and deadline pressures. The project will combine theoretical insights with empirical fieldwork to provide a comprehensive understanding of this complex issue.
An online survey is currently being prepared.
The Techno-Cerebral Subject. About the Symbiosis of Human and Machine in Neurosciences
(Dissertation)
Derived from an analysis of neuroscientific practices and techniques of human/brain and machine/computer adaptation, I draw the emergence of “techno-cerebral subjects.” Through interviews with distinguished neuroscientists and depictions of neuroscientific clinical application projects that use Brain Machine Interfaces (BMI) to heal stroke and ALS patients, the study shows how the mutual adaptation of patient and machine leads to the bio-technical gestalt of the cyborg. As a result, patients are constituted as subjects that correspond to a cerebro-centrist notion.
There is already a published monograph and several articles on this dissertation project, which are listed under publications.
Recent publications
*Şahinol, M. (2021). Living in the Age of Neuro-Digitalization. Brain-Computer Interfaces for Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences, 8 (Being Human in a Technological Age), 53-80. https://doi.org/10.1628/ptsc-2021-0005
Recent presentations
8.12.2022: “Living in the Age of Neuro-Digitalization. Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Brain Research”, 4S/ESOCITE joint meeting in Cholula, Mexico (Dec 7-10 2022).
16.11.2022: “Das Maschinenhafte im Leib”, Vortragsreihe “Medizin und Technik”, FernUni Hagen (Germany).
2.9.2022: Panel discussant “Uses of neurotechnologies and visions of human enhancement” (invited as expert), “The Future of the Technological Human Body in Light of Its Present & Past“, FUTUREBODY-Project, TU Berlin (Germany).
17.6.2021: “The techno-cerebral subject as acting cyborg,” Human-Tech Colloquium, University of Twente (Niederlande, online).
26.10.2019: “The human as a part of an endless input-process-output (IPO) action loop on the example of Brain-Machine Interface research in chronic stroke rehabilitation, 5th Turkish-German Frontiers of Social Science Symposium 2019: Where do we go? Turkey and Germany and the Digital Revolution, Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, Mercator Foundation and Koç University, October 24-27, 2019, Leipzig (Germany).