Nature: ‘cognitive enhancement’ is not a dirty word
8 December 2008 20:01 PM CET By Arne Moll
Should mind drugs be allowed or forbidden in chess competition? Less than two weeks after super GM Vassily Ivanchuk missed a doping test at the Olympiad, scientists in Nature published an article that says ‘cognitive enhancement’ should be allowed in modern society.
In their commentary on the website of Nature – one of the most important science magazines in the world – seven prominent neuroscientists and university teachers conclude that we must ‘reject the idea that enhancement is a dirty word’. According to research quoted in Nature,
“almost 7% of students in US universities have used prescription stimulants (…) and (…) on some campuses, up to 25% of students had used them in the past year. These students are early adopters of a trend that is likely to grow, and indications suggest that they’re not alone.”
Although the authors do not specifically mention chess, it’s obvious that the subject is closely related to our royal game. Indeed, the authors state that
“in the context of sports, pharmacological performance enhancement is indeed cheating. But, of course, it is cheating because it is against the rules. Any good set of rules would need to distinguish today’s allowed cognitive enhancements, from private tutors to double espressos, from the newer methods, if they are to be banned.”
Here is the full interesting article on chessvibes.com
Chuky!
LOL!