SENTINEL WATCH June 16, 2008 Issue

SPIRITUALLY SUPERCHARGED

CHARLES W. LINDAHL

THE DEBATE over brain enhancement drugs is on the rise—their use, ethics, and consequences. Already, high school and college honor students take drugs to improve their concentration during exams and admission tests, while professionals seek greater knowledge and quicker response through their use during interviews and on the job. These drugs are also being touted as offering mental boosts for those later in life.

Wired magazine's May cover, for example, asserts, "Get Smarter! 12 Ways to Super-Charge Your Brain." In February and March PBS ran a weekly series called The Brain Fitness Program, and The New York Times addressed the subject in "Brain Enhancement Is Wrong, Right?" (March 9, 2008).

Who doesn't want a higher level of thinking capacity and total recall? We all like to have clever responses and intelligent answers—the quicker, the better. But can drugs, or food supplements and mental exercises, truly provide the lasting answer? And benefit society as a whole?

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