Introduction

On November 14, 2023, I was honored to give the David Kopf Lecture at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting. It was the second time for me to do so. The first time, in 2006, I spoke about the ethical management of incidental findings in neuroimaging research. Now, nearly two decades later, I brought the enduring pragmatism of neuroethics to human-made and natural changes to the environment, and considered the landscape of both benefits and harms on brain and well-being. Moreover, I emphasized how understandings of brain and mental health from diverse cultures can contribute to learning, knowledge, and actions in neuroscience.

My reflections at the meeting and here are from the positionality of a person with a European background, and as continuous learner of Indigenous methods and perspectives on brain and mind. I also draw upon my now nearly 25 year experience in neuroethics to link three lines of inquiry — neuroscience, environment, and ethics and culture — together in a five-component framework adapted from Cabrera et al. (2016). The framework is inherently porous and necessarily flexible to evolve with an ever-changing landscape. The examples I have chosen to illustrate each component are based on the neuroscience-environment-ethics space to which my team at Neuroethics Canada has directly contributed. There are many variations on the themes, and other important and relevant areas that merit the attention of the neuroscience community that are beyond the scope of this writing.