Increasing numbers of citizens take Prozac to brighten their mood, or Provigil to increase their concentration. Is it okay to use them? What risks are involved? Do we have the right to provide these assumed benefits to our children?

Eugenics is a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. Goals pursued have ranged from creating healthier and more intelligent people to saving resources and relieving human suffering. Earlier proposed means of achieving these goals focused on selective breeding, while modern ones focus on prenatal diagnosis and fetal exploration, genetic counseling, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and genetic engineering.

Halfway between those who think that cosmetic (non-therapeutic) genetic modifications should be prohibited and those who feel it is moral duty to offer our children the best advantages to improve their performance is Julian Savulescu, director of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics, the most internationally renowned bioethics journal. At the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University, professor Savulescu lectured on the pros and cons of the use of psychodrugs for cognitive improvement, as well as on allied topics.