Limitless, a Nootropics-Centered Movie

Captain America isn't as cost-less as you think; to quote from the Marvel Wikia about the 'super-soldier serum' that makes a Captain America:

But the more powerful variants come with strange side-effects that may also include mental deficiencies.

(In one random comic - I have no idea which - that I read as a kid, S.H.I.E.L.D. had apparently put Captain America into cryogenic suspension specifically to stop the serum from killing the cap'n, in the hopes that the future could fix him. Quite a side-effect.)

In fairness, in the 1940s nootropics would have been hyped as the salvation of humanity (and any potential side effects carefully swept under the carpet).

To rephrase that without the sci-fi jargon - if you start out crippled and a drug fixes it, but you go back to the way you were when you stop taking it, then you're dependent on that drug. Similarly, if you start out average and a drug makes you awesome, but you aren't willing to be merely average when you could be awesome instead, then again, that's dependency. People speak of "dependency" as though it's intrinsically bad, but it isn't; what's bad is when something (a) leaves you worse off than you started if you stop taking it (that is, it has withdrawal symptoms), and (b) there is a reason why you'll eventually have to stop taking it (such as a tolerance that builds up until it's providing no benefits other than avoiding withdrawal symptoms.) In many cases, one or both of these does not apply, so dependency is not a bad thing even if it happens.

godshatter

?

It was mentioned in an Eliezer post, and in the thread there was this comment:

Godshatter is the term he uses for a superintelligence ramming data and thought patterns into a human brain.

but I'm not seeing the connection here...?

So, I went to see it with a friend. It was not a disappointment. It also did not fall into the trap I thought it would inevitably fall into, where the special power granted to the hero would eventually result in his downfall. I'll try to give a summary without any spoilers.

Eddie Morra is an akrasia-prone writer with an idea for a science-fiction novel about the human condition. His situation is fairly typical of any artist. It's likely a place that the scriptwriter has been before. After a chance encounter with his ex-wife's half brother (a drug dealer by trade) he finds himself in possession of a tablet of NZT-48. NZT-48 is a narrative device with the unique property being a genie that is too stupid to prevent you from wishing for more wishes. The effect of the drug is heightened awareness, access to all recorded experiences before taking the drug, savant-level capabilities in all areas of human achievement, and a tendency to create unlikely solutions to violent situations.

The movie's treatment of the subject of wonder-nootropics is fairly mature. The maturity is far above what I would have hoped for with a Hollywood movie, particularly with a double-whammy like intelligence enhancement paired with drug use as an incentive to do some moralizing.

If I had to say the movie was 'about' anything, I would say it is actually about intelligence being a good thing, and the more the better. Very early on in the movie, Eddie realizes that writing sci-fi novels, schmoozing at parties and driving fast cars is fine, but there is more to life than that. In a memorable scene that will be familiar to anyone who has read a transhumanist's life story, Eddie decides upon a long term plan which is carefully not elaborated upon in the movie.

Eddie makes some fairly foolish moves during the movie, and the plot thereby has a couple holes, but overall I recommend watching it.

Similar Characters to Eddie Morra: Adrian Veidt, Paul Atreides, Peter Wiggin.

Well, egg on me; that's definitely the sort of thing I should have checked on first. Thanks for pointing it out.

I'll attempt to save face by claiming that "technothrillers" are pre-watered-down, in that they're written in a format which is conducive to world-changing stories, and include technology that would indeed be world-changing, but shy away from their conclusions the same way that mainstream movie adaptations shy away from the conclusions of their source material.