This article is from Vol. All rights reserved worldwide. By Richard Glen Boire, Esq .
Thoughts are free and are subject to no rule.
Encroachments on cognitive liberty can take various forms. But, if not developed and used responsibly, they and the legislation they spawn, could also pose new threats to cognitive freedom. The trend of technology is to overcome the limitations of the human body. And, the Web has been characterized as a virtual collective consciousness and unconsciousness. Similarly, advances in biotechnology and drug-design increasingly raise legal and ethical questions related to cognitive liberty, including what rights people will have to access these and other technologies, and what rights we will have to avoid them.