Topic #4: The Ethics of Cognitive Enhancement

Our society values achievement. Our employers extol the virtue of hard work, our professors encourage us to study harder, our coaches expect 110%, and the US Army attracts new recruits with the slogan “Be all you can be!” In the pursuit of excellence, we hire tutors and athletic trainers; we consult psychologists, dieticians, and personal finance consultants; we take piano lessons and enroll in SAT prep classes. And, some of us take drugs.

When baseball players turn to anabolic steroids to be all that they can be, we are appalled. We are also concerned when we read reports of college students using stimulants, such as Ritalin, to help them prepare for exams. What makes the pharmaceutical road to success morally suspect? Is there a difference between the use of drugs in athletics and in academics? Can we control the use of stimulants by college students? Should we? Read what Ben and Carl have to say about this issue, do a little research, and join the conversation.

December - Topic #4:
The Ethics of Cognitive Enhancement

Click here for the full assignment including guidelines for participation.