Imagine a world where every single person is able to instantly increase his or her intelligence without ever putting forth any effort. Imagine a world where one could simply take a pill and instantly obtain more knowledge than he or she would have gained from reading an entire book. This is the world of cognitive enhancement. With the recent developments in the medical field, our society has developed several drugs which are able to enhance one’s natural mental, or cognitive, abilities. These drugs are being prescribed to those diagnosed with mental health issues, such as ADHD or narcolepsy. However, there are many healthy people taking these drugs in an attempt to boost their natural cognitive functions, and as with every issue, there are those who agree with this, and those who oppose it.
According to Henry Greely, a professor at the University of Stanford
However, cognitive enhancers are not always being used medicinally. Over the past few years there has been a massive spike in the number of people, primarily students, who have been taking other’s ADHD medication, “not to get high, but to get better grades” (Greely et al. 702). Some recent studies have shown that almost seven percent of students attending U.S.
There are some people who believe that the use of cognitive enhancing drugs by the healthy is completely rational, and that the use of the drugs in this way should by no means be banned. They argue that “the mere fact that cognitive enhancers are drugs is no reason to outlaw them,” and how society should naturally want to seek enhancement (Greely et al. 703). When debating whether or not the use of cognitive enhancement is justified, one must consider the issue of fairness in an educational environment. While it is apparent that the use of cognitive enhancement by only a select few would undoubtedly create some level of unfairness within a classroom, some argue that this form of unfairness already exists in that only a select few are able to provide themselves with educational advantages such as private tutors, preparatory courses, or other enrichment programs (Greely et al. 703). So if this unfairness already exists, then to what extent would cognitive-enhancing drugs further the gap between those with these benefits and those without?
In attempts to discover the true effects of cognitive enhancement on the healthy, and see if they really would create an unleveled playing field, many professors have begun conducting tests involving drugs like Ritalin and modafinil. The results of which are somewhat surprising, showing that these drugs will indeed enhance the cognitive functions of the healthy, but also that drugs such as Ritalin can be openly used without numerous adverse effects on one’s health provided they are under proper monitoring (Mind-enhancing drugs). However, that also means that strong risks may still be present for those who are not under careful monitoring, which could potentially lead to dangerous situations.
Despite the very strong arguments made for the use of cognitive enhancers, there are just as many valid reasons to oppose the use of enhancement by the healthy. “Many Americans appear to regard enhancement as cheating, unnatural or a rationalization of drug abuse” (Szalavitz). If a student was to take a cognitive enhancer right before an examine, then that could, very easily, prevent an accurate measure of the true knowledge and ability of the student, not to mention give them an unfair advantage over the other students who did not take a cognitive enhancer (Greely et al. 704). One, somewhat obvious, solution to this problem would be to allow everyone to take the enhancers; however, if this were to occur then more problems would be created due to the fact that even if the drugs were made open to the public and anyone was able to obtain them, there would still be the same unfair advantages due to the fact that “one can't access the drugs without some amount of expendable cash” (Szalavitz). In this situation, the advantages of cognitive enhancement would become available only to the wealthy and the privileged, creating an even more iniquitous situation than we are currently faced with. One must also consider the issue of safety when determining if the use of cognitive enhancers is truly benefiting society. Cognitive enhancers are drugs, and like any other drug, they have side effects. Even if only a small percentage of people are affected by said side effects, the chance is still there. There is always a risk when taking medication, especially when one is taking others medication that was not prescribed to them directly. Some of the immediate known side effects of stimulants include “insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, depression on withdrawal,” and even a loss of creativity (Mind-enhancing drugs). Yet these are only some of the immediate side effects, many of the long term side effects of taking cognitive enhancers are unknown, which may prove to be very dangerous.
The last, and arguably most convincing point made by those against the use of cognitive enhancers is one of moral values. Some say that the use of cognitive enhancers is “undermining the value of human effort,” (Greely et al. 703) and that this redefinition of human nature is more of a reason to not use cognitive enhancers than either the unfair situation they create, or the safety issues they present. “We cheat ourselves out of ownership of our own success and damage our sense of self” (Szalavitz). This essentially means that we, as humans, would be losing what it means to truly accomplish something by taking a cognitive enhancer, and would untimely; lose an appreciation for work done without enhancement.
So while it is clear that our society has indeed turned to enhancement in order to gain an elevated level of cognitive functions, it is still relatively unclear whether or not they should. As of now, the use of cognitive enhancers without a proper prescription is considered illegal; however this is by no means stopping people from taking them. This means that the decision of whether or not their use is justified must be a decision made by the individual. The use of cognitive enhancers is without a doubt one of the more important issues of our time, and whether or not one agrees with their use is a completely personal choice that must be made by the individual.
As for the future of cognitive enhancement, no one can be sure. It is impossible to know whether no one, everyone, or only the rich will be taking cognitive enhancers in the future. They may even be deemed unsafe for anyone due to some undiscovered long term side effect, or they may be made available to anyone due to their possible benefits for society. Until further research is done in this field, it is impossible to know, or even predict, what the future of cognitive enhancement will or could be.
Works Cited
Greely, Henry et al. “Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy.”
Hallowell, Edward and Ratey. Delivered from Distraction. New York
“Mind-enhancing drugs: Are they a no-brainer?” The Independent. 19 Jun. 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
Szalavitz, Maia. “Popping Smart Pills: The Case for Cognitive Enhancement” Time Magazine 6 Jan.
2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.
