Balancing Individual and Collective Benefits in the Case of Cognitive Enhancement

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the exact nature and implications of the benefits provided by cognitive enhancement. More specifically, I will mainly look into such issues as those regarding the identity of enhancement beneficiaries and whether there are any strings attached to the enjoyment of these cognitive goods. I intend to argue that, in some cases, cognitive upgrades bring individual advantages to the detriment of societal or collective goals, while, in other cases, the situation is reversed: collective benefits are enjoyed at the expense of individual optimality. Apart from outlining the areas in which individual and collective cognitive benefits are most likely to clash, this paper will also try to provide a useful perspective for balancing these sometimes different sets of goals.