I feel as though this cause should expand beyond chemicals. Research into nootropics already grabs a lot of attention from entrepreneurs, who seem to have little chance of improving the cost-effectiveness of substances at scale. I also find it highly unlikely the government steps in anytime soon to try to reduce costs and improve distribution since they already can’t get a grip on pharmaceutical costs. Even if they somehow pulled that off, nootropics might negatively impact society by reducing creativity (unless of course psychedelics are considered cognitive-enhancing substances).
Substances such as creatine already have an expanding literature and others like NMN, modafinil, l-carnitine, etc. don’t seem to be lacking for clinicians interested in conducting more trials.
It seems like EA should incorporate technology and behaviors into the discussion. Maybe hire someone from Neuralink to write a great article like this cause profile, or link to outside research on the effectiveness of brain training, playing chess, meditation, and other activities on improving IQ (and even EQ).
I know the list of things that could ultimately boost your cognition is potentially endless, but I was hoping EA would help me break this down into actionable career paths as I am concurrently fascinated yet confounded as to where to even begin trying to transition into the industry and start contributing to this endeavor. As a commenter below pointed out, if AGI advancement outpaces research in this area due to funding, legal, or other constraints, why even bother with inferior methods of cognitive enhancement? Neuralink might be the most logical solution to pursue.
Anyone like myself who arrives at this area of EA without a background in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, clinical science, or artificial intelligence, may wind up without a compass on where to focus their efforts in transitioning into this field and making a meaningful contribution.
I feel as though this cause should expand beyond chemicals. Research into nootropics already grabs a lot of attention from entrepreneurs, who seem to have little chance of improving the cost-effectiveness of substances at scale. I also find it highly unlikely the government steps in anytime soon to try to reduce costs and improve distribution since they already can’t get a grip on pharmaceutical costs. Even if they somehow pulled that off, nootropics might negatively impact society by reducing creativity (unless of course psychedelics are considered cognitive-enhancing substances).
Substances such as creatine already have an expanding literature and others like NMN, modafinil, l-carnitine, etc. don’t seem to be lacking for clinicians interested in conducting more trials.
It seems like EA should incorporate technology and behaviors into the discussion. Maybe hire someone from Neuralink to write a great article like this cause profile, or link to outside research on the effectiveness of brain training, playing chess, meditation, and other activities on improving IQ (and even EQ).
I know the list of things that could ultimately boost your cognition is potentially endless, but I was hoping EA would help me break this down into actionable career paths as I am concurrently fascinated yet confounded as to where to even begin trying to transition into the industry and start contributing to this endeavor. As a commenter below pointed out, if AGI advancement outpaces research in this area due to funding, legal, or other constraints, why even bother with inferior methods of cognitive enhancement? Neuralink might be the most logical solution to pursue.
Anyone like myself who arrives at this area of EA without a background in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, clinical science, or artificial intelligence, may wind up without a compass on where to focus their efforts in transitioning into this field and making a meaningful contribution.