[bdm]

[Co-author of the post here.]

Imagine a world where the boogey man has access to smart phones, encryption, and chemical weapons. Yes it's scary. Technology provides a multiplying effect on society, both the good and the bad segments. Typically the good outweighs the bad, and one has to believe that technological advancement is generally a positive thing for society.

The point about feeling pressured to use nootropics because of competitors or peers is interesting. This type of soft coercion already exists with Adderall, and you could say we are "coerced" into learning to read or getting a college degree or owning a cell phone (BTW - for all we know, cell phones give you cancer if you carry it in your pocket everyday for 30 years - no one knows the exact risk). It only feels like coercion when there are significant worries and risks, otherwise it's just a positive behavior shift. No one has a crystal ball, but I would bet that society will decide that the benefits of nootropics outweigh the risks & harms, especially if there's a nootropic that's milder, safer & more equally distributed than Adderall.

Bioethicist Allen Buchanan goes into the coercion point in more detail: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/why-co...