A Better Brain: The Ethics of Neuro-Enhancement
From the 6-part series Ethics in America II (2007)

The hypothetical scenario in this program finds Maria and her daughter Camilla facing several challenges at a difficult time in their lives, from the exhaustion of working two jobs, to the pressure and loneliness of being an average, unpopular kid at school. It appears that some new pharmaceuticals may help each of them-if they choose to use them. Should they? Do we lose something by removing the pressures in our lives, or some of the agonies in growing up by taking medications?

New drugs have also found a place in the university setting where students find that Hype Pharmaceuticals' Alzheimer's drug, Rememberall helps them study better, work faster and remember much more. If you have more difficulty in recalling information than your fellow students, is there anything wrong in bringing your skills up to their level by taking a drug? By enhancing your performance this way, are you cheating? When does a comparative deficit become a disease or impairment?

Funder: Annenberg Media