Posted: June 27th, 2015

Is it ethical to use cognition-enhancing drugs?

Is it ethical to use cognition-enhancing drugs?

Introduction

            Cognition is the process by which organisms organize information by acquiring, absorbing, understanding and keeping it in the memory. Once kept, it is used to define behavior. A lot of efforts have been directed towards the development of cognitive enhancing drugs due to the increased cases of poor cognitive functioning (Greely et al, 2008). Another reason is the problems experienced in social and occupational functioning. These drugs are meant for the people with cognitive and neurological disorders. When used by normal people, these drugs result in increased reasoning, clearer thinking and concentration. As a result many professionals and students have started using these drugs to better their performance (Buchanan, 2006). It is unethical to use cognition-enhancing drugs for other reasons other than medical reasons.

Ethical Challenges in the Use of Cognition-Enhancing Drugs

            Many students and professionals have resulted in the use of these drugs to beat their colleagues in performance. However, there is the question of safety in the use of these drugs. When the brain is programmed to function faster and longer than expected, there are chances that some of the results obtained are not real. If students use these drugs, there is the possibility that they will develop into dogmatic and fanatics who are selfish and manipulating. On occasions where individuals need to reason together and make decisions, the people using these drugs are likely to engage in sophistic arguing and may not accept what others suggest. For example, these drugs make students perform excellently and therefore they are given first priority in the allocation of scholarships and other awards. This denies genuine students an equal opportunity to enhance their studies (Bostrom & Sandberg, 2009).

There is also the medical risk that comes with the consumption of these drugs. The nervous system is affected and the students make decisions unconsciously since the reasoning that they have is way beyond their age. They hardly consider the repercussions that may arise as a result of giving consent to procedures that they are not familiar with. Even for the grown ups using these drugs, the information that they are given is simply absorbed in the subconscious mind and the side effect is felt in the way the information is transmitted to others. This is unethical since the people given the responsibility of leading and guiding others do not have the comprehension to pass information and directions. It leads to poor decision making and poor leadership. Dependence on external support by drugs makes life less worth living because a slight interruption in supply could lead to impairment (Bostrom & Sandberg, 2009).

Use of cognition-enhancing drugs denies a person the opportunity to approach social and personal issues that they may have. Other than getting the challenge to work harder and compete equally with fellow students, these students opt to use the drugs as a short cut. The drugs don’t solve the problems but offer a short term solace. The problems later emerge, for instance as a weakness in reliability on these drugs. The users of these drugs do not get the fulfillment that comes with achievement because they do not rely on their own abilities and competence. The achievement is defined by the ability to obtain and continue using the drugs (Greely, 2008).

Conclusion

The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy people is unethical. It not only affects the people using the drugs but also those around them. This is evident in the way they engage colleagues at work in unproductive arguments or even poor leadership. It also results in unfair competition since individuals don’t compete at the same level. There is also the risk of compromising one’s health with the continued use of these drugs. Personal development is also affected because individuals simply evade their weakness other than confronting these weaknesses and getting a viable solution.

References

Buchanan, R. W. (2006). Important Steps in the Development of Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs in Schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(11), 1867-1869.

Bostrom, N. & Sandberg, A. (2009). Cognitive Enahancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges. Sci Eng Ethics, 15, 311-341.

Greely, H. Et al. (2008). Towards Responsible Use of Cognitive-Enhancing drugs by the Healthy. Nature, 456, 702-705.