Nita Farahany

Professor at Duke University

Director of Duke Science & Society

Nita Farahany is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of biosciences and emerging technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience and behavioral genetics. At Duke University, she is the director of Duke Science & Society, the Duke MA in Bioethics & Science Policy, and a professor of law and philosophy. In 2010, she was appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and continues to serve as a member. Farahany presents her work widely, including to audiences at the Judicial Conferences for the Second and Ninth Circuits, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy, and by testifying before Congress. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Association of Law Schools, and on the Board of the International Neuroethics Society.

Nita Farahany has also participated in: Prohibit Genetically Engineered Babies - Against

DEBATES

College Students Should Be Allowed to Take Smart Drugs

With Anjan Chatterjee, Nita Farahany, Eric Racine, Nicole Vincent

If you could take a pill that would help you study and get better grades, would you? Off-label use of “smart drugs” – pharmaceuticals meant to treat disorders like ADHD, narcolepsy, and Alzheimer’s – are becoming increasingly popular among college students hoping to get ahead, by helping them to stay focused and alert for longer periods of time. But is this cheating? Should their use as cognitive enhancers be approved by the FDA, the medical community, and society at large?…

College Students Should Be Allowed to Take Smart Drugs

With Anjan Chatterjee, Nita Farahany, Eric Racine, Nicole Vincent

Prohibit Genetically Engineered Babies

With Nita Farahany, Sheldon Krimsky, Lee Silver, Lord Robert Winston

Imagine a world free of genetic diseases, where parents control their offspring’s height, eye color and intelligence. The science may be closer than you think. Genes interact in ways that we don’t fully understand and there could be unintended consequences, new diseases that result from our tinkering. But even if the science could be perfected, is it morally wrong? Would it lead to eugenics and a stratified society where only the rich enjoy the benefits of genetic enhancement? Or would…