Enhancing Cognition in the Intellectually Intact

• Published in: The Hastings Center report Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 14 - 22
• Main Authors: Whitehouse, Peter J., Juengst, Eric, Mehlman, Maxwell, Murray, Thomas H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.1997; The Hastings Center; Hastings Center
• Subjects: Alzheimers disease; Bioethics; Brain; Brain Diseases; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - drug effects; Cognition - physiology; Comprehension; Disclosure; Drug and Narcotic Control; Drug regulation; Drugs; Ego; Ethical aspects; Ethics; Ethics, Medical; Federal Government; Government Regulation; Health; Humans; Memory; Morals; Neurons; Nootropic agents; Nootropic Agents - pharmacology; Nootropic Agents - therapeutic use; Nootropics; Paternalism; Performance enhancing substances; Personality; Pharmaceutical preparations; Psychotropic drugs; Risk Assessment; Smart drugs and nutrients; Social Justice; Social values; Sports; Talent; Professional Patient Relationship; Biomedical Enhancement
• ISSN: 0093-0334; 1552-146X
• DOI: 10.2307/3528662

As science learns more about how the brain works, and fails to work, the possibility for developing “cognition enhancers” becomes more plausible. And the demand for drugs that can help us think faster, remember more, and focus more keenly has already been demonstrated by the market success of drugs like Ritalin, which tames the attention span, and Prozac, which ups the competitive edge. The new drug Aricept, which improves memory, most likely will join them. Whether such drugs are good for individuals, or for society, is an open question, one that demands far more public discussion.