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Originally Posted by Van Rijn
What do you count as enhancing cognitive abilities?
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I would count cognitive enhancing abilities as: Any method or technique used to enhance/increase ones thinking, understanding, creativity, inquisitiveness or attention that leads to greater knowledge and success for the individual and/or society. (You have no idea how many times I re-wrote this sentence!)
Something could be said for all methods, including chemicals. Simply reducing stress can lead an overall gain in ones cognitive functioning. Going for a walk, practicing yoga/meditation, kicking back and drinking a beer/smoking some herb, getting enough and good enough sleep, etc. If you reduce your overall stress levels, you will be able to think and perform better than you would if you are riddled with anxiety or depression.
Using a chemical for such means, be it alcohol, plants, pills, or whatever your drug of choice is, should therefore be equally acceptable.
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How do these drugs apply, in your view?
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I will simplify into three categories: Simulants (coffee, Adderall or equivalent, coca derivatives). Relaxants (Alcohol, cannabis, opiates (natural and synthetic)). Psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, etc.)
Coffee is a mild stimulant, Adderall is a medium/strong stimulant, and lets say that in the future some form of coca extract is brought to market and regulated. Also, lets say that some compound could be created that actually increases the brains ability to learn, not just get "high" for a short while. Stimulants increase focus, attention, alertness, and pace of thinking.
Stimulants would apply beneficially in many cases. Surgeons performing long, arduous operations. Pilots making long flights. Drivers making long, cross-country road trips. People working in factories/dangerous jobs. Preparations for exams/overall learning ability.
Were people allowed to responsibly use a stimulant in any of these situations would be beneficial to the individual and society at large. Less surgical errors /medical mistakes. Less pilot error. Less auto accidents. Less workplace accidents. Better performance by better learning for students. All of these are beneficial to the individual and society. Though, let me make clear, that I think as a society we should set goals of becoming more healthy through better eating habits and exercise, dedicated time to stress relief, and adequate, quality sleep as a base level for achieving success, not just popping a pill for all of our ailments (that is precisely where we are now: pharmaceuticals for everything while ignoring the base causes of most disease/health problems).
Relaxants, I briefly discussed above. Negative stress is probably the biggest underlying cause of most ailments. Its no secret that happier people are healthier people, and healthier people are more productive and usually smarter people. More productive and smarter people are beneficial to to themselves and society.
The psychedelics are where my passion lies. I am absolutely certain that, used properly, psychedelics can and will have profound positive effects on individuals and society as a whole.
For starters, psychedelics are non-addictive and non-toxic. The only danger in them is the fated "bad trip" which people do have and can lead to neuroses. This is easily avoided, though. Let me explain "used properly". Anyone that has ever experimented with them knows they are powerful mind altering compounds. "Set" and "setting" are absolutely crucial for avoiding "bad trips". If one is knowledgeable about the compound, in a comfortable, safe environment, and are around someone you trust that has experienced said compound before, avoiding the bad trip is almost certain. This is the "setting". Personally, I like them most out in nature, and at night under the stars.
The "set" is your mindset. You could be in a happy go lucky mood, happy with life and have a profoundly beneficial experience on them. Your next time you could be sad, depressed, or angry, and you will most likely have a distressful, negative experience.
So what are their benefits? I am going to speak from personal experience, shared experience of others, and how I think they can help society at large.
Let me start by saying that it is very hard to describe the experience to someone who has never themselves tried them. It is akin to describing a profound, lucid dream to someone who has never had one, or like describing Tokyo to someone who has never seen a car or skyscraper. You may recognize the words, but you can't grasp the overall meaning.
So here are some things that I almost directly give credit to the insights gained while on psychedelics: First and foremost, what is the nature of reality and consciousness? What makes me me, and why am I here? How many people do you know that stop and think: Here I am, an energetic compilation of matter and chemicals, aware of my own existence and sense of self, standing on a huge sphere of rock with a thin skin of air that gives life to everything we know, beneath the stars of a (most likely) infinite universe, traversing time and space itself. Cool!
As for other benefits I have gained: a deep sense of connection to nature and all life around me. I directly credit my environmental zeal to insights while on psilocybin. I have since altered my daily habits towards a minimal waste lifestyle and a vegetarian diet for example.
A deeper sense of connection and empathy to fellow human beings.
Changing from a pessimistic 'theres nothing I can do about anything' attitude to an 'I can do anything attitude' towards life and the problems our world faces as a whole. They instilled in me a sense of purpose and drive to right the wrongs this world has endured under humans onslaught for the last 200 years.
A more forgiving attitude. Example: Me and my father fought almost my entire life. He was pretty much a jerk. For a while I wanted nothing to do with him. Then I came to realize that he was most likely mistreated as child himself. Surprise surprise I found out from my mom that he was indeed. So instead of continuing my hatred towards him, I forgave him so we could both move on. We now enjoy a fantastic relationship.
Psychedelics and science: There is no doubt in me that their use has aided me and others I know of in understanding and grasping difficult concepts, such as quantum uncertainty, entanglement and the sheer size of the universe. Its not like they make you able to do the mathematics of it all, but you have almost an intuitive understanding of the concepts, thereby driving me and others I know to vigorously learn and understand through empirical means. Fritjof Capras book the "Tao of Physics" is a perfect example of a scientist having revelations about physics and the universe in general under the influence of psychedelics. And Francis Crick, which was revealed after his death, that he had the epiphany of the double-helix structure of DNA while under the influence of LSD, to which he called a "thinking tool".
Psychedelics and art/music: Pull your heads out of the sand and realize that the best musicians and artists this world has seen used psychedelics to expand their minds. The world is absolutely a better place because of art and music. Psychedelic use opened the doors for art and music in myself as well. 6 years ago, I was a bland, boring, uncreative schmuck who never though he would amount to anything, most certainly never be an artist, musician, or amateur scientist. I now find myself staring in awe wondering where this ability came from to create the paintings I do (which I will eventually post up here), not to mention the fact that I now play guitar, flute, and hand percussion instruments. I never, ever thought I would do any of this. Did the plants "cause" me to be good at them? Absolutely not. They made me realize that I could do anything I wanted if I put my mind to it.
Here is a recent study by Johns Hopkins University. In short, they basically gave psilocybin to about 30 volunteers who had never taken it before. Most of them had positive experiences, while some felt fear and paranoia. Probably because psychedelics shatter your world view, or plunge you farther down the rabbit hole than you ever though possible. Here is an important quip relative to this discussion:
In the study, more than 60 percent of subjects described the effects of psilocybin in ways that met criteria for a “full mystical experience” as measured by established psychological scales. One third said the experience was the single most spiritually significant of their lifetimes; and more than two-thirds rated it among their five most meaningful and spiritually significant. Griffiths says subjects liken it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.
Two months later, 79 percent of subjects reported moderately or greatly increased well-being or life satisfaction compared with those given a placebo at the same test session. A majority said their mood, attitudes and behaviors had changed for the better. Structured interviews with family members, friends and co-workers generally confirmed the subjects’ remarks.
So, in conclusion, I think psychedelics, USED PROPERLY AND RESPONSIBLY, could have far reaching, profound impacts upon our society and species for the greater good of us all.