Which is better, a biochemistry contest, or what we have now, a genetics and luck contest?
The genetics-and-luck contest is better in Yvain’s Moloch sense—it provides comparatively less incentives to sacrifice long-term utility for short-term advantage.
Well, presumably you’d want to be doing your actual research on something other than the athletes you’re working with; pro-level athletes are neither common nor cheap. But getting better at sports biochemistry sounds like it’d do more outside its domain of application than getting better at, say, water polo coaching.
Under the let-the-better-potion-win system what makes you pro-level is that you work with a good lab which makes effective potions. The incentives for second and lower-tier athletes are to get to the bleeding edge and push—that’s the only way for them to get to top tier. I doubt there will be a lack of willing test subjects.
The genetics-and-luck contest is better in Yvain’s Moloch sense—it provides comparatively less incentives to sacrifice long-term utility for short-term advantage.
Worse in the positive externalities sense, though.
You mean you get volunteer guinea pigs to run research on?
Well, presumably you’d want to be doing your actual research on something other than the athletes you’re working with; pro-level athletes are neither common nor cheap. But getting better at sports biochemistry sounds like it’d do more outside its domain of application than getting better at, say, water polo coaching.
Under the let-the-better-potion-win system what makes you pro-level is that you work with a good lab which makes effective potions. The incentives for second and lower-tier athletes are to get to the bleeding edge and push—that’s the only way for them to get to top tier. I doubt there will be a lack of willing test subjects.
It’s probably still better to just ban the doping from human sports and allow them in, say, pig races.