ABSTRACT
There was a time in which genes played a central role in scientific and popular scenarios. Now it is the moment of another main character: the human brain. The brain is the most complex biological object in the universe and understanding how it functions is one of the primary aims of neuroscientific research. Neurogenomics is a multidisciplinary perspective at the intersection of neurobiology and genome sciences that are improving the quality of human life. Ethical problems resulting from genetic and brain research converges in a new interdisciplinary field termed neuroethics. The authors review the Catholic perspective on human being and apply it to neurogenomics. Considering the Catholic anthropological perspective and a realistic philosophical account on technology, a general and practical ethical principle for neurogenomics emerges: an intervention is legitimate if it favors human flourishing according to its intrinsic natural “program” or purpose. A Catholic perspective on neurogenomics provides a powerful framework both to better understand the human being and concrete benefits on health and wellbeing.
