Neuroenhancement or Neurodiversity?: Education, BCIs, and the Capability Approach

What happens when brain-computer interfaces promise to revolutionize learning—but risk flattening the richness of human thought? In this episode of Bookshelves & Brains, host Nishanth Araveti explores how the capability approach sheds light on the ethical, political, and cultural stakes of cognitive enhancement technologies.

Drawing on the work of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, this episode challenges the techno-utopian view that faster thinking equals better living. Can a BCI replace the communal, ethical, and cognitive ecosystem of a school? What do we lose when neurodiversity is sacrificed for standardized “efficiency”? From the seductive appeal of nootropics to the dangers of cognitive homogeneity, we examine why education remains the most powerful—and just—tool for human development.

If you care about justice, technology, and what it means to truly flourish, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Tune in and ask yourself: Is enhancement making us more free—or just more alike?