3 ms·

you can be an entrepreneur to follow a passion as well as for pure capitalist greed. For example, sometimes I can't focus very well so I take modafinil. It's a

you can be an entrepreneur to follow a passion as well as for pure capitalist greed. For example, sometimes I can't focus very well so I take modafinil. It's a short-stop fix for something I'm working to improve long-term. I do this in order to work on something I find intrinsically rewarding. Though I feel like you're not really complaining about cognitive enhancement, but more about capitalism. In which case, sure, capitalism is pretty flawed.

mdszy 7y ago
At that point you're basically doing it for your own pleasure. If doing acid helped me enjoy doing an electronics project of my own, sure I might consider giving it a shot. But the general concept of being persuaded to do actual LSD in order to get ahead in a job is completely fucked.
- beaconstudios 7y ago
  some people enjoy being productive. Some people try to be productive in order to be more successful at their job. The fact that capitalism is exploitative doesn't render either of these desires invalid - we still have to exist in the system, and some people like to succeed at their chosen role.
  - diffeomorphism 7y ago
    Liking to != Being forced to As an analogy suppose that you are a professional cyclist. You are very good and train hard but your competition is doping. Your trainer offers you drugs that will make you faster but come with a significant risk of heart failure. If you decline you will be fired. Would you like to be more productive?
    - beaconstudios 7y ago
      yeah there's an obvious issue with that. I'm not in that situation and I'm happy to take supplements that help me be productive voluntarily but reel at the idea of having them forced on me, especially if they came with health risks.
jacobwilliamroy 7y ago
Distraction doesn't seem like something that requires medication, to me.
- mdszy 7y ago
  Guess it's a good thing you're not a medical professional who prescribes medication to help with diagnosable issues, then.
  - jacobwilliamroy 7y ago
    Well it's actually a bad thing because it means I can't recommend a medicine that's actually made to treat the other poster's symptoms. Hey, beaconstudios, did you get a scrip for those schedule IV drugs? Did an actual licensed medical doctor perscribe those to you to treat your distractions?
- beaconstudios 7y ago
  no, in my case it's a personal issue that I'm working on over the long term. In the meantime, sometimes I just need to be able to focus. I don't think of modafinil as being the solution in my case, but more of a stop-gap as I said.
  - jacobwilliamroy 7y ago
    Is the work you're doing really so important if you won't focus on it without modafinil? What else is it you'd rather be doing right before you take modafinil?
    - beaconstudios 7y ago
      I know what you're thinking - that I'm using modafinil to force myself to work on something I don't really want to. That isn't the case for me, and not something I'd do anyway as I value passionate pursuits much more highly than economic ones. I have issues with anxiety, which causes my mind to get jumpy and distracted. Meditation and mindset techniques usually help, but that's because I've gotten much better at managing my life and stressors. Even still, sometimes these techniques don't work but I still want to maintain my habits and work on my projects so that I don't regress. So yes, it's important both on the level that these are the things I love doing and want to do, and also that I know from experience that if I fall off the wagon for too long then I'll end up regressing on a personal level.

mdszy 7y ago

At that point you're basically doing it for your own pleasure. If doing acid helped me enjoy doing an electronics project of my own, sure I might consider giving it a shot. But the general concept of being persuaded to do actual LSD in order to get ahead in a job is completely fucked.

beaconstudios 7y ago
some people enjoy being productive. Some people try to be productive in order to be more successful at their job. The fact that capitalism is exploitative doesn't render either of these desires invalid - we still have to exist in the system, and some people like to succeed at their chosen role.
- diffeomorphism 7y ago
  Liking to != Being forced to As an analogy suppose that you are a professional cyclist. You are very good and train hard but your competition is doping. Your trainer offers you drugs that will make you faster but come with a significant risk of heart failure. If you decline you will be fired. Would you like to be more productive?
  - beaconstudios 7y ago
    yeah there's an obvious issue with that. I'm not in that situation and I'm happy to take supplements that help me be productive voluntarily but reel at the idea of having them forced on me, especially if they came with health risks.

jacobwilliamroy 7y ago

Distraction doesn't seem like something that requires medication, to me.

mdszy 7y ago
Guess it's a good thing you're not a medical professional who prescribes medication to help with diagnosable issues, then.
- jacobwilliamroy 7y ago
  Well it's actually a bad thing because it means I can't recommend a medicine that's actually made to treat the other poster's symptoms. Hey, beaconstudios, did you get a scrip for those schedule IV drugs? Did an actual licensed medical doctor perscribe those to you to treat your distractions?
beaconstudios 7y ago
no, in my case it's a personal issue that I'm working on over the long term. In the meantime, sometimes I just need to be able to focus. I don't think of modafinil as being the solution in my case, but more of a stop-gap as I said.
- jacobwilliamroy 7y ago
  Is the work you're doing really so important if you won't focus on it without modafinil? What else is it you'd rather be doing right before you take modafinil?
  - beaconstudios 7y ago
    I know what you're thinking - that I'm using modafinil to force myself to work on something I don't really want to. That isn't the case for me, and not something I'd do anyway as I value passionate pursuits much more highly than economic ones. I have issues with anxiety, which causes my mind to get jumpy and distracted. Meditation and mindset techniques usually help, but that's because I've gotten much better at managing my life and stressors. Even still, sometimes these techniques don't work but I still want to maintain my habits and work on my projects so that I don't regress. So yes, it's important both on the level that these are the things I love doing and want to do, and also that I know from experience that if I fall off the wagon for too long then I'll end up regressing on a personal level.