Sporirea inteligenţei – realitate sau vis?
To enhance intelligence – reality or wishful thinking?

Summary/Abstract: It’s about a hundred years since we can measure intelligence. Early theorists (e.g. Cattell) predicted a decline in average IQ in the future, but the opposite happened. As James R. Flynn pointed out, the population’s average IQ rose significantly (3 IQ points a decade, 5-25 points per generation) during the last century. So, it seems that there is a constant increase in IQ on populational level, though some theorists propose that a reversed effect is also emerging. The focus of my paper, however, is on individual intelligence. I pose the issue whether the individual's intelligence can be enhanced, and if yes, how. There are a plenty of ideas how to transcend our present cognitive limits and improve human intelligent performance. I review a couple of recommended practices, mainly nutrients, nootropics and psycho-technologies that aim at expanding human cognitive capacity. Beyond their promising nature, I also point out their unintended and unfavorable side effects. I also remind of the ethical issues posed by the developed technologies which seem to be capable of intervening in human cognitive capacities.

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