considerase

Considerase is a fictional enzyme used in speculative biology, science fiction, and educational thought experiments to illustrate ideas about cognitive enhancement and decision-making. The name combines the verb "consider" with the conventional enzyme suffix "-ase." It is not a real enzyme described in current biochemistry.

In typical fictional depictions, considerase is imagined as a catalyst that modulates neural or synaptic processes to influence deliberation. Authors often describe it as affecting the integration of information in cortical networks, thereby reducing decision times while maintaining attention to relevant details. Because it is a hypothetical construct, its mechanism is intentionally underspecified and varies across works.

Usage in discourse: Considerase is used to frame discussions about the ethics of cognitive enhancement, trade-offs between speed and accuracy in decision making, and the potential societal impacts of neurobiological optimization.

Limitations and position in real science: There is no empirical evidence for an enzyme with this name, and no consensus on a biologically plausible mechanism. Real enzymes do not perform cognitive functions directly; any influence on cognition would be indirect, mediated by downstream biology, behavior, or technology.

See also: Enzymes; cognitive enhancement; neuroethics; thought experiments.