A Smart Drug

[RVM45]

....Imagine if you will, a blackmarket drug with the following characteristics:

.....#1} Being under it's influence is pleasant- even mildly euphoric.
.....#2} While under the influence of the drug; you are far more intellegent. The intellegence increase follows three general patterns-

...........I.) It becomes far erasier to learn new skills. Give someone who is on the drug, a 650 page, three semester Calculus text(Assuming they knew algebra; but no Calculus to start) and they can read and retain it as easily as you or I would read a comic book.(They retain the knowledge- though not the ease of aquisition, when the drug wears off.) (I can clearly remember the plot of some comics that I read once, over 40 years ago.)

.........II.) People are far more likely to have the kind of "EURAEKA!" moments that lead to radical new inventions; or theories; while taking the drug.

.......III.) Long term use of the drug results in permanently raised intellegence- even when not taking the drug- although one is always far smarter "ON" than "OFF".

.....#3} The normal practice is to stay on the drug for several weeks; and then crash and detox. The drug tends to cause you to get so wrapped up in abstract thought that eventually one starts neglecting eating; sleeping; bathing; and exercising- even putting off potty breaks as long as possible.

.....The cumulative effect is exhaustion, and inability to think clearly, even with the drug- and then an inevitable crash and recovery peoriod.

.....Can anyone come up with any unforseen consequences that the drug; and the bumper crop of innovations might have on society at large and the world we live in?

.....RVM45

[Parson]

The collapse of the entertainment industry?

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by RVM45

The cumulative effect is exhaustion, and inability to think clearly, even with the drug- and then an inevitable crash and recovery peoriod.

.....Can anyone come up with any unforseen consequences that the drug; and the bumper crop of innovations might have on society at large and the world we live in?

Perhaps no-one will know how to debug the fiendishly clever programs written by the temporarily "enhanced".

[chrispenycate]

For an optimistic view read "The stone that never came down" by John Brunner (not someone I generally associate with optimism).

He suggests people would get smart enough to see that wars are a bad idea.

I suspect they'd get smart enough to invent new weapons (they're very good at that.

[RVM45]

.....It's my understanding of rational game theory, that anytime one ends up in a Mexican Standoff(Two people with Guns to each other's temples- figuratively; or literally) whoever shots first wins. The only rational action is to always launch a pre-emptive strike the instant you realize that it's possible. If you don't; and the othe dude realises his vulnerability; his best course is to try a pre-emptive sucker punch; before you realise that you have him at a disadvantage.

.....The only reason that standoffs can sometimes be settled without violence; is only because sometimes both sides steadfastly refuse to act with cold unemotional logic.

.....That was one of the problems with Larry Nivens' PAK. Once a PAK spotted a vulnerability- whether in an enemy; or ally; the decision whether to attack or not, was no longer under his concious control. He HAD to play the highest odds strategy.

.....I envisioned some using the drug to plot super-heists; and although the state might mistrust the idea of having beaucoup super-geniuses around; super crooks would require super Cops.

.....Also, a mathematician seldom comes up with a truly radical theoretical breakthrough- no matter how arcane- that doesn't turn out to be just the numerical tool someone drastically needed for some practical application.

.....With every would-be numbers geek in the world, who could afford enough drug to go on a six week binge; able to turn out a body of advanced mathematical work during that six weeks; equal in volume and quality with what the most gifted geniuses with PHDs generally contribute in a lifetime- and with beaucoup chemically adhanced engineers; programmers; scientists; etc.- watching the math tree; and impatiently waiting the next fruit to drop...

.....RVM45