Monday, August 2, 2010

Population Level Cognitive Enhancement

Fluoridation is the tip of the enhancement iceberg. Science is progressing fast to develop safe and effective cognitive enhancers, drugs which will improve our mental abilities. For years, people have used crude enhancers, usually to promote wakefulness, like nicotine, caffeine and amphetamines. A new generation of more effective enhancers is emerging modafenil, ritalin, Adderral and ampakines and the piracetam family of memory improvers.

But once highly safe and effective cognitive enhancers are developed – as they almost surely will be – the question will arise whether they should be added to the water, like fluoride, or our cereals, like folate.

-Oxford Professor Julian Savulescu


Image by GreenOnePhoto.

4 comments:

Arcane said...

I try not to get too political on blogs but I read this post and almost fell out of my seat. Flouride is a toxin that rates about as poisonous as lead or arsenic. There are low levels of it present in drinking water but consuming enough of it over time allows it to accumulate in the bone and cause harm to the body. Such effects include gastric distress, headaches, weakness, atopic dermatitis, eczema, urticaria. It also inhibits enzyme systems, damages the immune system, contributes to calcification of soft tissues and worsens arthritis. People assume that it is safe because it is piped into their homes. Yikes. We never drink flouridated water because of the dangers of it on the body. Fortunately it is something we still have a choice in drinking or avoiding. I love our country, but the way government controls our lives more and more scares the hell out of me.

Rot said...

Saw a couple documentaries about the dangers of flouride over the years. Very scary stuff.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

Mantan Calaveras said...

http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com/whatis.htm

heh heh

Anonymous said...

I don't know about anybody else but I could use all of the energy I can get!

(I work the dreaded 3rd shift...)