For many, it seems that the immediate and tangible benefits of taking these drugs are more persuasive than concerns about legal status and adverse effects. There are clear trends suggesting that the use of stimulants such as methylphenidate on college campuses is on the rise, and is becoming more commonplace in ever younger students8. Universities may have to decide whether to ban drug use altogether, or to tolerate it in some situations (whether to enable all-night study sessions or to boost alertness during lectures).
And yet, as the authors point out, would we blink twice regarding the use of a few shots of espresso in order to promise productivity? Thus, they conclude:
Cognitive enhancers with small or no side effects but with moderate enhancing effects that alleviate forgetfulness or enable one to focus better on the task at hand during a tiring day at work would be unlikely to meet much objection. And does it matter if it is delivered as a pill or a drink? Would you, the reader, welcome a cognitive enhancer delivered in a beverage that is readily obtainable and affordable, and has a moderate yet noticeable effect on your concentration and alertness?
In the ever-competitive world of academia, individuals are always looking for some sort of advantage. Let's be honest, we are often expected to keep unnatural hours, and do unnatural amounts of work (as are lawyer, medical doctors, etc...). Could these cognitive enhancing drugs be the next step in that competition?
2 comments:
It seems to me that the situation in academia isn't comparable to sports, but I am not sure why it's different. Perhaps because the physicality of the body is more explicit than the physicality of the brain; we recognize a direct connection between certain drugs and athletic performance. We are dualists, though, and not entirely sure where intelligence comes from or even what it is, and we certainly can't make a connection between intelligence and any physical or biological process. Even if it were possible to improve artificially someone's academic performance, people seem to have a hard time recognizing that because the brain is considered more of a black box than muscles.
Practically speaking, universities ignore private drug use, and it sounds like these cognitive enhancers aren't more public than any other drug, so would probably be ignored.
Thanks for the great comment and insight, Anon. I do see your point, but think that there are some parallels (admittedly small) with the baseball example. A few thoughts:
1. Specifically in regards to HGH (human growth hormone), that substance was not banned by Major League Baseball until recently. So, the players who utilized it technically were not breaking the rules. Further, from my understanding--and here is where I admit I am a liberal arts person, so the medical professionals can please correct me if I am wrong--a substance like HGH is more about maximizing healing capabilities and such. As a result, is that much more different than finding a substance that maximizes cognitive powers? Another parallel to baseball...it is fairly common for injured players to receive cortizone injections in order to play through a particularly painful injury. I suppose this links to the larger question of picking and choosing those substances that are acceptable and those that aren't. The easy answer is, of course, those that are legal/illegal, damaging/safe. It's just not very cut and dry in either of those dualities. Or at least wasn't with the legality issue until it was officially banned by MLB.
2. Part of the larger ethical question--and I think this is where the article is strongest--surrounds the implications of non-medical usage. And yet, as a society we have no issues throwing pills at everyone. I suppose that the ADD example is strongest here, and the medications that they used are a way of transforming brain functionatlity. And the question then is, would that same thing be appropriate for those without a diagnosed condition. I don't have an easy answer for this at all, but think it is a worthwhile question to ask.
That said, I can't even bring myself to take vitamins so...shows you where I personally stand.
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