

Brain-Enhancing Drugs For All - muoncf
http://www.indiegogo.com/nootropics

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gozmike
I believe in research, I believe that we need to seek understanding and
explore concepts, technologies and questions that can improve our race.

However, I have a huge issue with one of the goals of the project "People may
choose to take nootropics due to the additional clarity it gives them, leading
to increased performance in all walks of life."

The ethical dilemmas that this creates are massive. What about the
authenticity of what it means to be "human". WHat about the adverse affects it
will have on competition against those who don't have access to the
enhancement (due to physiological, economic or other reasons)?

We need to understand this class of substance, however we cannot responsibly
peddle "enhancements" in this way.

The ethics on this subject are extensively debated in academia (see works by
Forlini & Racine among others...) and the only clear consensus that I've seen
is that there are some very serious unanswered questions about the societal
impact of this.

Would anyone back this campaign if it was studying athletic doping?

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octaveguin
I don't know if these things work or not but the premise that improving
people's abilities is somehow unethical is dangerous.

One could argue that giving good education to students gives them an unfair
advantage to those without such an education. Does this mean that education is
unethical?

Improving people's mental ability, whether through drugs or education,
improves all of our lives. To win at being higher functioning and making
better choices is not just a win for the individual but for the society at
large. Those people can go on to improve the live of others and grow our
collective economy. It's not zero sum as athletics can be thought of.

As an aside - if these improvements make us less human, then I don't see why
modern medicine doesn't also make us less human. Do we define human purely as
a certain cognitive ability?

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clavalle
$12,000? I think they forgot a few zeros. Who is going to risk their brain
chemistry on a substance that has undergone this level of testing? I think
they will raise all of our collective IQs once they test it on themselves and
remove themselves from the gene pool.

On a side note: Does IndieGoGo have no standards at all? There is so many
garbage projects there compared to KickStarter. It makes it very tedious to
browse.

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odiroot
I have (nearly) nothing against drugs, especially those seemingly harmless.
Still, reading articles like this I'm always reminded of this Blade Runner
quote: "The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long".

Let's hope this is not the case.

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dolany
Wow this sounds safe... get some random drug that these people make at the end
of it? Could be anything.

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acuozzo
> Could be anything.

That's true, but then again, that doughnut you purchased to "Support the
Troops!" could contain anything as well.

Read: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders>

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dkroy
Can anyone let me know if these are legitimate? I have heard things about them
in the past..

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macavity23
I use aniracetam (500mg twice daily) together with a choline supplement. It
_definitely_ improves my cognitive stamina: while I don't think it boosts my
'peak' ability, it increases the amount of time I can operate at that level.

It doesn't seem to be right/left-brain specific, either - my wife (a
psychotherapist) finds it similarly helpful.

Regarding side effects, I had some headaches and disorientation during the
first week, but nothing after that.

Better living through chemistry :-)

~~~
easy_rider
I think he meant something in the line of sources of clinical trials etc.
Nonetheless, the sources on Wikipedia suggest that they have been extensively
tested in mice, like all the other stuff we take. And they do have proven use
in treating Alzheimers etc. They are considered nontoxic or even neuro-
protective, but in my opinion often sought out for based on reviews from first
users who are mostly biased from the start and therefor easily placeboo'd. No
offence :) I'd love to try them, but I'm in dubio for reasons stated above.

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carsongross
a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning

