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Pills to make you more clever?

The Times has an article today about Modafinil - usually prescribed as a treatment for narcolepsy, but soon to be the illicit drug of choice of students everywhere (or at least that's what the article implies).

Personally, as someone who eschews all stimulants (except for the occasional green tea), I think the prospect of competing with chemically-enhanced PhD students is a little unsettling.

You know those competitions for non-steroid chomping body-builders? Well, I propose we take a stand against all this nonsense and instigate something similar for academia: a guild of certifiably 'naturally' brainy research students perhaps? ;)
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Ceri said…
Human beings have always and always will use stimulants to improve their bodies... for some reason some people think they have to be better then they actually are to succeed. However it catches up with you in the end as there is always a downside to using these chemicals. And to be honest I think the PhD is judged on individual merit (as every exam and academic achievement SHOULD be judged although we know this is not always true in practice) so it should not matter what other PhD students are doing to themselves, surely?

I use many stimulants but these tend to be either cups of tea or long walks / going to the gym :)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:47:00 am
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