Jutta Krautter

Dissertation project

Texts about Neuro-Enhancement. How (latent) ‚concepts of the world’ and ‚concepts of men’ influence path and goal of human self-design.

That language forms culture and society, that it constitutes for the most part ideologies and values like ‘good’, ‘desirable’, ‘beautiful’ etc., was already well known in the antique. Those values and thoughts, permeated by rhetorical reason – or unreasonableness –, were and are passed on to future generations in pictures, sculptures, rituals – and (published) texts.
My dissertation project focuses on analyzing texts and articles about the subject matter ‘Neuro-Enhancement’ in published medias, such as magazines and journals. Methodologically the discourse analysis will proceed according to M. Foucault’s concept of ‘discourse’.
On the one hand this analysis is important because ‘Neuro-Enhanecment’ is not just a ‘topic’. It also promises to be very profitable – if merchandized strategically. On the other hand it is one of my goals to identify more basic beliefs or ideologies, fundamental ‘concepts’ or ‘images’ of men or ‘views of the world’ to determine why people seem to be more and more intrigued by the idea to bring themselves to perfection, increase their efficiency and intelligence through medical products. I want to show not only the intriguing phrases, metaphors and contexts but also the hidden ideas especially in comparison to different concepts – and in the main section I want to evaluate these ideas and concepts from an ethical point of view.

Biography

Study of Philosophy and Rhetoric in Tübingen. From 2003 to 2007 undergraduate assistant at the DFG-project "Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik" under direction of Prof. Dr. G. Ueding. Master’s degree in 2008, title of thesis: „Kultur im Abbild. Hellenistische Statuen aus rhetorischer Perspektive betrachtet“ („Culture in image. Hellenistic statues from a rhetorical point of view.“)
Since 2010 member of the Research Training Group “Bioethics” at the International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen (IZEW).

Contact

jutta.krautter[at]uni-tuebingen.de