Nootropic (nous - mind, tropos -twist) drugs are meant to increase/enhance cognitive function, intelligence, creativity, motivation, attention etc... ie make you a better version of yourself. The most recent popular exposition of this classic Faustian bargain (pictured left) this very interesting and relevant topic was the film adaptation of Alan Glynn's novel the Dark Fields, Limitless. The bottom line is; if the risk/reward profile of such a drug were acceptable to your values, would you take it?
I would answer yes because, I already do in the form of caffeine, which has been shown to increase alertness and concentration, especially in sleep deprived states. However its unclear if caffeine ever gave me a comparative advantage, I would argue yes, but I couldn't prove it. Developing "smart pills" is more difficult than other medications because standardized methods for assessing its effects are not as predictive. Take for example blood pressure meds. The final common pathway for antihypertensive medications is measured by a blood pressure cuff. This is a workable metric, easy to monitor, and reasonably predictive (taking nothing away from the very interesting complex, and challenging concepts of cardiovascular physiology). On the other hand, there is no reliable way to measure "smartness", which confounds efforts to develop agents to improve this capacity. Therefore, I think its necessary to define what I'm after in a smart pill. Increased intelligence. What is that? Intelligence is a very hard concept to define, and there is no agreed upon definition to date. Also, I don't think there ever will be consensus. And I think that if ever a drug were developed that increased intelligence in radical meaningful ways, it would not have come about by focusing on more accurate definitions or "measurements" of intelligence. What tests that exist now are enough to capture what effect I'm after, and even if they were incapable of doing so, if the effect were bona fide, then it would not matter. Therefore, I have arranged a working definition of intelligence that is suitable for me, and so now I can start tackling specific topics related to it.
Intelligence - an emergence from a series of interacting collection of abilities used together to create awareness to and solutions for drives (whatever the origin- socio-, biological, spiritual, or cosmically otherwise)
the functions that matter-
abstract thought (abstract - ab meaning "from" , -stract -from latin trahere "to draw off") abstracting - separating or dissociating an idea, relationship, or presumably a truth from the object it inhabits.
for example use abstract reasoning to find one similarity between a gardener's hoe and a bow and arrow...
reasoning - the ability to order or arrange connections between what is thought or observed, (can be anything -concrete or abstract) into new or pre-existing abstract arrangements
learning - the ability to acquire abstractions, concepts, sensory/perceptual phenomena
memory - very closely related to learning, memory is the capacity to retain and recall learned information
explicit memory - fact recall, working memory, semantic memory, episodic memory, your mind's eye
implicit memory - motor tasks that are not conscious, procedural
emotional intelligence - identify, control, and apply the emotional states of self and others for a desired outcome
no actual agreed upon definition of intelligence. even more difficult to "measure" it, but certain agreed upon approaches are the best options available right now.
IQ (intelligence quotient) tests:
Stanford-Binet
Raven's Progressive Matrix
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Kaufman Assessment
...many many many more
Gardner's theory - multiple different intelligences. He subdivides intelligence into
logical - the mathematician
spatial - engineering/design
interpersonal - politician, clergy, teacher
linguistic - writer of course
musical - the list goes on...
kinesthetic - athletes, dancers, craftsmen
Triarchic theory
analytic intelligence
creative intelligence
practical intelligence
Then came the unifying theory.
The g factor-
Defined by Spearmen (psychologist) who analyzed the results of children's test scores and found unrelated areas of positive correlation in certain individuals. He dubbed this ability the "g factor" or general intelligence factor, it is the Holy Grail of intelligence. It is widely accepted.
Cattell-Horn-Carroll then subdivided g into 10 abilities -
fluid g - reasoning, concept formation, problem solving
crystal g - acquired knowledge and the ability to access it
quantitative g - comprehension and manipulation of numerical symbols
read/writing - the ability to read and write
short term memory- holding concepts in awareness
long term memory- efficient storage and retrieval of retained information
visual g - applying visual memory to aid in thinking
auditory g - applying auditory memory to aid in thinking
processing speed - maintaining attention in tasks under time pressure
reaction time- speed at which one reacts to stimuli
Not included among this, and something I think central to all intelligence is creativity - I would add creative g to this list, but figuring out how to measure this would take a lot more creative g! I think creative is what comes through in real life anyhow, thus testing doesn't matter if one possesses ample amounts of this. Already it is clear that there are several domains of function. But I find the central concept of g (general intelligence) appealing if for no other reason than its singularity. I wonder what it is and how to increase it, if it is increasable.
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