OUT ON A LIMB: No, Don’t Use A ‘Morality Pill’ To Stop The Covid-19 Pandemic.

I have updated the headline to more clearly state my position, as opposed to the position being discussed. The original headline was “Could A ‘Morality Pill’ Help Stop The Covid-19 Pandemic?” The article has received some recent attention in February 2022 more than a year after the original publication, and some readers had contacted me requesting clarification of my own views. As I mentioned in the original piece, I regard the idea of a “morality pill” as both unrealistic and undesirable. Instead, I greatly favor “discussion, debate, and rational persuasion” to decide public policy.)

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to kill thousands of Americans each week, bioethicist Parker Crutchfield has suggested a controversial approach to battling the pandemic — namely a “morality pill.” Specifically, he suggests that widespread administration of psychoactive drugs could provide “moral enhancement” that would make people more likely to adhere to social norms such as wearing masks and adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Crutchfield — an Associate Professor of Medical Ethics, Humanities and Law at Western Michigan University — acknowledges that the idea is “far out” and controversial. But he does note that well-known chemicals, such as oxytocin and psilocybin (the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”) can lower aggression and increase empathy towards others, and thus potentially “boost” our “cooperative, pro-social behavior.”

Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick intended the Ludovico Technique to be a warning, not a how-to guide for a safer society.