At The Hastings Center, Erik Parens explores how sciences, such as genetics and neuroscience, shape our understanding of ourselves. He also explores the ethical questions that arise as we use technologies, such as gene editing, surgery, and psychopharmacology, to shape ourselves. Those two lines of inquiry begin to come together in his 2015 book Shaping Our Selves: On Technology, Flourishing, and a Habit of Thinking.
Currently he also directs a project (funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities) to create a series of public events called “The Art of Flourishing: Conversations on Disability and Technology.” That project is a sequel to his earlier one on prenatal testing and disability rights. In the past he has directed projects exploring controversies concerning: what neuroimaging technologies can—and cannot—reveal about complex behavioral traits; how psychotropic medications should—and should not—be used in responding to psychosocial disturbances in childhood; and when surgery should—and should not—be used to “normalize” the appearance of children born with atypical physical features.