Nootropic (cognitive enhancer) involves the use of specific drugs with the primary aim of attempting to improve memory, increase concentration, and, most importantly, mental alertness. Besides, the use of cognitive enhancers also boosts energy levels and wakefulness. The use and general prevalence of cognitive enhancers, particularly among university students, ranging from one percent to eleven percent. As a result, the practice has raised substantial societal-related and ethical concerns and whether the practice is fair concerning professional and academic environments. Logically, most of the current landmarks in this debate focus on the ethics related to cognitive enhancement. According to the American Academy of Neurology’s Ethics, Law, and Humanities Committee, prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement is ethically permissible.
Generally, ethical arguments against using nootropic drugs can be divided into two major and important categories. One of these categories involves issues dealing with people using these drugs. Some of these issues include maintaining authenticity and, most importantly, autonomy. The second category involves issues related to the larger implication of communities and people accepting enhancement, such as inequality creation and coercion related to cognitive enhancers (Shaughnessy, 2014). However, the arguments against the use of people using enhancements can be overcome if there is an autonomy of choice and, most importantly, accurate information regarding the costs and benefits of these drugs.
Consequently, the extent to which these drugs will impact society negatively depends on how institutions apply these technologies rather than on the general characteristics related to them. In most cases, negative effects result from a decrease in autonomy for a specific group. Enhancement can be seen to be consistent with specific definitions related to the role of medicine (American psychological association, 2017). As a result, institutions like medicine have an important role in ensuring the negative effects of cognitive enhancers in societies have been minimized while increasing possible benefits to individual patients, particularly through more rigorous studies into the efficacies and side effects of cognitive enhancers.
References
American psychological association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. https://www.apa.org. Retrieved 10 January 2022, from https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/.
Shaughnessy, J. (2014). Research Methods In Psychology (10th Edition). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US). Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/0078135656
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