[palmer_eldritch]

What if amphetamines (or some other stimulants) were to become a thing in the IT industry and that workers had no other choice to take some to meet standard performance or be unemployed? All for the benefit of the employers?

That's pretty much what's going on for professional athletes... now, I wouldn't like being forced to take some drugs to be able to make a living. And if we say it's ok to do it for professional sports, how long until someone says it should be ok in other fields?

[sneak]

> What if amphetamines (or some other stimulants) were to become a thing in the IT industry and that workers had no other choice to take some to meet standard performance or be unemployed?

That has pretty much happened already, for median skilled workers in IT. We call it coffee.

[mattlutze]

> What if amphetamines (or some other stimulants) were to become a thing in the IT industry and that workers had no other choice to take some to meet standard performance or be unemployed? All for the benefit of the employers?

There is a culture of amphetamine use in the IT industry. I haven't seen articles on it in a while, but I thought it relatively accepted that a lot of people who go find ADHD diagnoses don't actually have the disorder, and are just looking for a dextroamphetamine scrip.

[forloop]

> All for the benefit of the employers?

And society. Sports and jobs are different.

[_pmf_]

> And society. Sports and jobs are different.

How does society benefit from it?

[forloop]

How does society benefit from products/services and innovation/invention? Really!

[_pmf_]

> How does society benefit from products/services and innovation/invention? Really!

Amphetamines allow for short term gains in productivity for individuals and possibly companies. The products/services/innovations/inventions will be realized regardless of these short term effects. As much as Silicon Valley likes the myth of the lone (drug fueled) rockstar developer, please don't be deluded to think this has any semblance of relevance in reality.

[forloop]

> Amphetamines allow for short term gains in productivity for individuals and possibly companies.

Your premise is incorrect! It depends on the dosage. Low dose amphetamines can be neuroprotective. Even meth!

People also take a combination of drugs to stave off tolerance. Memantine, for example.

> As much as Silicon Valley likes the myth of the lone (drug fueled) rockstar developer, please don't be deluded to think this has any semblance of relevance in reality.

I'm not making reference to that.

Increased productivity is good for living standards—ceteris paribus. I've given two examples of how amphetamines may be used profitably in the longterm (which increases productivity). And because of what I've said in the first sentence, it follows living standards will be improved.

[johnchristopher]

There are such things as `professional league'.

[forloop]

I was making a distinction between sport and economic activity; rather than the strict definition of a job.

A sport is zero-sum. Economic activity is normally positive-sum.