Do you think[Neurology question]

[Heat]

To take a drug that would enhance your intelligence exponentially?
I see nothing morally wrong with that, however, the only way this would ever exist would be illegally and over-priced.

I'm thinking of the potential consequences. If it's only available to some, then this will create a massive gulf, essentially fracturing us into two entirely different groups. I know we have a lot of diversity as it is, but not on this scale.

Then there's the problem with how people cope with this sudden the new intelligence. They may become so incredibly bored that they go insane due to lack of challenging stimulation. Their life would be turned upside down in an instant; they would barely be the same person anymore.

And we wouldn't necessarily have the wisdom to go with it and may end up destroying the planet even faster than we already are.

I'm not saying all these things would definitely happen like I'm describing, just that I think there are serious implications. I've noticed mankind generally leaps ahead with technology before properly undstanding what the fallout may be until it's too late. There is a field of study specifically about this, looking at ways we might possibly end up ruining our own society and trying to avoid them.

Another quick example: I'm now so intelligent I can crack all the current security algorithms for everything. You can't prepare the world for people this intelligent without it already being designed by people this intelligent; a circular problem. The first generation will have amazing power which they could heavily abuse.

Do you think that we will ever discover a new Neurotransmitter, one that is largly responsible for cognitive functions, or if aided, can increase cognitive ability dramatically?

You mean one that is naturally occurring? No, or very improbable at best. The brain has been too closely studied.

But existing neurotransmitters are used in multiple parts of the brain. Their use is dependent upon where they are used. For example, a loss of dopamine producing cells is linked to Parkinson's, but dopamine is also used for pleasure and reward.

And just increasing the level of neurotransmitter won't help anyway. That's like saying flooding your LAN with white noise will speed up your computer. Neurotransmitters are used for sending signals sent between neurons. Neurons release them into a synaptic cleft. Filling the cleft with more signals won't help. What will help is giving neurons the ability to send strong signals for longer. Good, nutritious food and exercising your brain will do that.

Generally excitatory drugs which makes you feel more alert, or happier, excited etc are the equivalent of going on a spending spree. It doesn't produce the money but just speeds up how fast you spend it. So you just end up broke for longer.

To take a drug that would enhance your intelligence exponentially?
I see nothing morally wrong with that, however, the only way this would ever exist would be illegally and over-priced.

Other than it becoming another commodity for the rich and powerful and the bulk of the population being excluded.

Umm, I think you guys misunderstand. Anything that would increase your intelligence and functionality exponentially would clearly come with MASSIVE side effects. The higher you go, the more you fall, even if this was available, no rich person would use it, unless you could somehow eliminate the side effects, no one would risk their life just to use it for a very short amount of time, unless you're the main character from the movie Limitless. You can't operate at a 4 digit IQ if you were barely built for a 3 digit IQ. That's not how it works. There wouldn't be this gap of people using it and not, the people who use it would die before there was even a chance to "create" this gap. 


We're not talking about permenantly changing the brain to make it more intelligent, otherwise there would be a gap. We're talking about a temporary drug that could effect an undiscovered part of the brain to make you intelligent. There's a massive difference. It wouldn't last forever, you wouldn't get bored of not being "challenged" enough, it would work like any other drug. You rise. You fall.