A Plan to Add 12 Points to Everyone’s IQ with Food Additives

Right now , multitude all over the world are being made impudent through a simple intellectual nourishment additive . The plan to loose this additive on the world , called “ the micronutrient initiative , ” has already boost IQs in Pakistan by as much as 12 - 13 points . Is it really a good idea to put brain - changing additive in the solid food supply like this , even if it ’s for a good cause ?

Most land in the world have already answered that motion with a resounding “ yes . ” The additive in inquiry here is iodine , and you believably eat it all the clip in your enhance , iodinated Strategic Arms Limitation Talks . Canada ’s micronutrient first step is trying to bring iodinated salt to countries like Pakistan and elsewhere , where I lack creates a range of trouble from severe developmental disorders to lowered I.Q. .

Many would say that iodized salt is n’t creating “ enhanced ” learning ability , only functional one . But investigator Anders Sandberg points out at Oxford University ’s Practical Ethics blog that there is really very little remainder between “ enhancement ” and “ normalization ” in this case :

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It seems likely that in our historical yesteryear iodine want has always been with us . the great unwashed in inland areas would have suffered , and even when overt problems like thyromegaly or lag did not take place it is likely that lack prevented much of the population from reaching their full electric potential , contemporaries after generation .

So , who is to say what is “ normal ” here ? If multiplication of people all over the public ( including today ’s figure 2 billion people with insufficient iodine inspiration ) have never been iodine - enabled , are we not in fact enhancing them ?

From an ethical standpoint , Sandberg believes that this is just fine . In fact , he suggests we should be pushing beyond I sweetening to figure out other ways to raise the intelligence of population :

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Using the premise that 1 IQ point is worth about 1 % increase income ( a low estimate ; when comparing I.Q. and gross domestic product across countries the relation seems even strong ) this would have in mind an growth in average income by at least 10 % – definitely nothing to sneeze at . easily , there seem to be inviolable meshing effect of cognition in a social club : if more people are smart , educatable and level-headed they will produce wealthiness more expeditiously . notice that this computing has not taken into account the personal effects of indifference and illness due to tincture of iodine inadequacy , just the cognitive impairment – deposit those will probably have at least a comparable gist on their own .

Iodine subjoining can help people rebel not just in live measure but wellness and mental ability , it is sleazy and it is safe . It is very backbreaking to argue against it ( the only issue might be unvoluntary medication , but since pedagogy safari are part of the effort and people presumably can choose traditional , non - supplemented salt this would at most be an informed consent shape of easy paternalism ) . It would seem that if we could find an enhancer that improved normal citizenry beyond their historic floor to this arcdegree we would have an equally solid jussive mood to make it widely usable if only due to the overall beneficial effects .

Of of course , the next enhancer to come along might be distributed as unevenly as iodized common salt has . in good order now , most developed res publica have iodize common salt , and many develop ones do n’t . Once the whole domain has been atomic number 53 - enhanced , it ’s very possible that the richest state will get salt that stop nutrient that advance IQs by 50 points , and therefore increases incomes respectively .

Lesdilley