The sociology of cognitive enhancement

Medicalisation and beyond

Bibliographic Data

ID3607443
AuthorsCatherine Coveney (0000-0002-1393-8087, University of Warwick, corresponding author), Simon J Williams (0000-0003-0664-7203, University of Warwick), Simon Williams (0000-0003-2854-9946), Jonathan Gabe (0000-0002-3765-4935, Royal Holloway University of London)
Year2011
Volume20
Issue4
Pages381-393
Publication date2011-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Sociology Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1446-1242 • E-ISSN: 1839-3551
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.5172/hesr.2011.20.4.381
OpenAlexW1984716882
LanguageEN
Citations received49
References cited44

To date, sociology of health and medicine has engaged in only a limited way in debates about cognitive enhancement drugs and how they might affect or change the way we live our lives. In this review we explore the implications of the development of such drugs, both now and in the future, with particular reference to the changing drivers and dynamics of medicalisation or biomedicalisation over time. Whilst both concepts shed important light on these developments, pharmaceuticalisation provides a more precise sociological term of reference we suggest for tracing and tracking these trends in cognitive enhancing drugs over time. The paper ends with some further suggestions for a research agenda in this domain, drawing on concepts located at the nexus between science and technology studies (STS) and the sociology of health and biomedicine

Biomedicine · Cognition · Embodied cognition · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Health care · Political science · Psychiatry · Social science · Sociology · Sociology of health and illness · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation · Computer Science · Law · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Psychology · Science, Research, and Medicine

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