The Moral Status of Cerebral Organoids and Phenomenal Consciousness

Human cerebral organoids are biological organs that are cultured in laboratory dishes and can mimic the human brain. One of the main issues in this area is about the moral status of these creatures. Where is the moral status of cerebral organoids in the ethical hierarchy, and to what extent can researchers use them for their experiments? The discussion of the moral status of organoids is connected to the discussion of their consciousness. The main question of this article is whether phenomenal consciousness can guarantee the moral status of these beings or not? We will answer that mere phenomenal consciousness cannot determine the moral status of a being. In addition, conditions such as to possess a certain morally relevant characteristic, structural resemblance to the fetal brain, or being in the network of significant and appropriate relationships, which are cited as conditions for the moral status of cerebral organoids, they ultimately have nothing more than to consider phenomenal consciousness as a sufficient condition for having a moral status for a creature. Therefore, these conditions cannot be a good guide to determine an ethical framework for the use of cerebral organoids. Ultimately, the goal of this study is to show that the condition of having phenomenal consciousness cannot guarantee an efficient moral frame for human cerebral organoids, and that we need more than just phenomenal consciousness.