The issue of cognitive enhancement has grown increasingly urgent and complicated as the availability of pharmacological enhancements continues to significantly increase. Furthermore, as more methods of cognitive enhancement have become accessible, they have been more frequently adopted in novel settings such as on college campuses. Philosophical responses to this trend have varied widely, reaching extremes in the views espoused by the bioconservative and transhumanist schools of thought. With more advanced modes of enhancement on the horizon and rising rates of study drug use among college students, education policy makers will find an increasing need to make rules on the ethical use of enhancements in academic settings. In order to expand the set of available options for policy makers, a more centrist view of cognitive enhancement, with particular focus on authenticity, will be put forward. From this, I will show that a moderate view of the relation between authenticity and enhancement is more consistent with US societal norms than the perspective offered by either the transhumanist or the bioconservative, making it a viable choice for crafting enhancement policies in university settings.

Ryan would like to thank his faculty mentor and sponsor for this inquiry project, Dr. Dan Haybron for his guidance throughout the creation of this paper.