On Sept. 17 and again on Oct. 8, 2009, Adrienne Outlaw leads public conversations about the ethics of healthy people taking “smart drugs” such as Ritalin to increase executive brain functioning such as memory and focus. During the Sept. 17th panel, held at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, panelists Nita Farahany, Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, Michael Bess, and Dr. Howard Kirshner discussed the pros and cons of using pharmacological neuroenhancement with Outlaw. The Oct. 8th panel, held at the Nashville Public Library downtown branch, focuses on how those drugs may affect creativity and innovation. That panel includes writer Michael Sims, Elizabeth Heitman of Vanderbilt University’s Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, neuroscientist Jeffrey Schall, and Dr. John Greer.
In October, 2009, Outlaw begins distributing hundreds of brain-shaped, hand-held aluminum viewfinders to the public. She will also unveil her installation work at the AMP show, Oct. 17 - March 26, 2010 4-5pm, at the Nashville Public Library main art gallery.
As part of The Enhancer Project, we invite you to share your stories and viewpoints about smart drugs. Please see below links to articles posted on the subject.
Ethical Debate: Pros and Cons of “Smart Pills”
Talbot follows a college student’s experience with “smart pills” and interviews him on its effects.
2) Carey, Benedict. Brain Enhancement Is Wrong, Right? New York Times, March 9, 2008
Casey compares neuroenhancers to steroids and other enhancing drugs, presenting an ethical argument both for and against their use.
Azalavitz discusses the positive and negative effects of neuroenhancing drugs and raises ethical arguments for both sides.
The Benefits of Enhancement
This journal article asks that we rethink our gut reactions and “accept the benefits of enhancement.”
Dees’ Article presents the ethical arguments surrounding neuroenhancement, suggesting that most uses of nueroenhancing drugs are not morally suspect.
6)Warner, Judith. Cognitive Enhancement.New York Times, November 30, 2008.
Warner questions her own prejudices about cognitive enhancement. She has always rejected the idea of healthy people using drugs meant for people with neurological disorders, but wonders if her view is outdated.
The Future of Enhancement
7)Rosenthal, Richard N. Data Needed on Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs. Internal Medicine News, June 1, 2009
This article sites the Judeo-Christian ethic as an obstacle to objective bioethical assessment of cognitive-enhancing drugs. Rosenthal suggests that once more research is done we need to consider the ethical issues of the future.
8)Hall, Wayne. Feeling ‘Better Than Well’. EMBO Reports, December 5, 2004
Questions whether our experience with psychoactive drugs help us meet the challenges of neuroenhancement methods.
This journal article presents the latest research on neuroenhancement and how as technology develops there will be need for more ethical discussions on the subject in society.
Cognitive Enhancement Through Stimulation of Chemical Senses
Discusses the pros and cons of neuralogical enhancement through stimulation of chemical senses.
