Social Policy and Cognitive Enhancement: Lessons from Chess

Overview

Journal Neuroethics

Specialty Medical Ethics

Date 2018 Jun 26

PMID 29937945

Citations 4

Authors

Emilian Mihailov

Julian Savulescu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Should the development of pharmacological cognitive enhancers raise worries about doping in cognitively demanding activities? In this paper, we argue against using current evidence relating to enhancement to justify a ban on cognitive enhancers using the example of chess. It is a mistake to assume that enhanced cognitive functioning on psychometric testing is transferable to chess performance because cognitive expertise is highly complex and in large part not merely a function of the sum specific sub-processes. A deeper reason to doubt that pharmacological cognitive enhancers would be as significant in mind sports is the misleading parallel with physical enhancement. We will make the case that cognitive performance is in nature than physical performance. We draw lessons from this case example of chess for the regulation of cognitive enhancement more generally in education and the professions. Premature regulation runs the risk of creating a detrimental culture of suspicion that ascribes unwarranted blame.

Citing Articles

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