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A basic fear in today's competitive society is not measuring up. "Brain Gain." Margaret Talbof s insightful and troubling article in The New Yorker in April 2009, opened the way to broader public discussion about the pros and cons of "neuroenhancement." the use and misuse ? G prescript ion stimulants by those seeking better mental cognition to offset worries about falling behind or otherwise falling short.1 According to Peter D. Kramer, the prominent psychiatrist and author of Listening Io Prozac\ the temi "encompasses a set of medical interventions in which the goal is noi lo cure illness but rather io alter normal traits and abilities."2 That would be altering for the better. Kramer hopes, because the drugs carry a long list of side effects. Indeed, despite iis upbeat titie. Talbot's article also came with a darker subtitle, "The Underground World of "Neuroenhancing' Drugs," as if questioning whether the term is accurate or misleading.
Talbot's article covered the widespread off-label abuse of Adderall, Ritalin, and Provigli by o !ten panicky college students seeking a cognitive advantage. (Off-label abuse means taking medications, like Adderai!, commonly prescribed to those with attention-deficit hyperaclivity disorder, for conditions not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.) Abusers typically get their hands on the pills through friends' prescriptions and online pharmacies with lax requirements and poor safety regulations. Talhot referenced surveys calculating that 6.9 percent of students in U.S. universities have used prescription stimulants to try to overcome academic performance anxieties or being bested by (heir peers, with the greatest frequency at highly competitive schools.1
The article also quoted prominent scholars at Stanford. Harvard, and Perm arguing that concerns are overstated because "cognitive enhancement lias much to oner individuals and society, and a proper societal response will involve making enhancements available while managing their risks."1 Talbot's piece further referenced the British Medical Association (BMA) arguing in one upbeat 2007 discussion paper. "Boosting Your Brainpower." "Universal access to enhancing interventions would bring up the base-line of cognitive ability, which is generally seen to be a good thing"" and, thus nothing to be worried about.
Increasing cognitive ability is of course a good thing, and there are many ways to achieve it. including through education. But to what extent can chemically-raised expectations about academic...