Woodpecker wrote:
Now after bringing this article to your attention, I will give my penny’s worth.
I am university teacher who is also a research scientist, I fear that a class who are drugged up on "smart" drugs might be able to go without sleep for days and study non stop for hours but they are likely to become bland and insipid.
They will be likely to just be cramming for the exam and then they may well not be able to recall what they were taught years later or put it to any use.
Having taught a range of students I have come to the conclusion that it is wrong to try to mass produce the next generation of scientists in my own image. Even if I was to clone the best minds in my subject, I fear that I would be sleepwalking into the abyss by undermining my subject by causing intellectual stagnation.
Brilliant minds need to reach for the stars by having original thoughts.
That reminds me of a girl (high school senior) I tutored a long time ago. She was only concerned about her GPA; had no interest in actually understanding the subject. 'Playing with concepts' seemed to her a pathetic waste of time.
Granted, there were college classes where passing was more important to me than the subject matter, but I think I can honestly say they all left me with at least a few ideas that I occasionally mull over 20 years later.
It seems like this use of 'smart drugs' rewards a lack of intellectual curiosity. That people would end up studying more because they're amped-up on drugs, and less because of any drive from curiosity or a desire to 'figure things out' -- essential qualities for researchers.