LessWrong (30+ Karma) Drugs Aren’t A Moral Category
Nov 29, 2025
The discussion dives into the complexities of how we perceive drugs, challenging the black-and-white thinking of good versus bad. Sharing personal experiences with ADHD and sleep apnea, the narrator illustrates the idea that needing medication isn't a flaw. By comparing ADHD treatment to using CPAP for sleep apnea, they argue that context matters when assessing drugs. The emphasis is on evaluating the consequences of drug use instead of adhering to moral categorizations, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of our mental and physical health tools.
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Personal Medical Experiences
- The speaker describes having ADHD and a prescription for methylphenidate and sometimes not wanting to take it.
- They contrast this with using a CPAP for sleep apnea and feeling no aversion to that device.
Drugs As Tools, Not Moral Labels
- The core idea is that drugs aren't morally good or bad; they are tools for manipulating reality.
- Evaluate drugs by the mental states you want and which tools achieve them, not by moral labels.
Use Consequentialist Calculations
- Calculate drug use by weighing physiological and psychological short- and long-term consequences across dose and frequency.
- If the net effect makes you more of who you want to be, take it as the right decision.