tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post5342577169916798186..comments2024-03-26T04:21:43.535-05:00Comments on Free Association: Szasz in One LessonSheldon Richmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672237234580563637noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-77605761792622239332016-08-12T03:44:21.337-05:002016-08-12T03:44:21.337-05:00Markz, either you've completely missed the poi...Markz, either you've completely missed the point or your response is terribly disingenuous. Perhaps it's a little of both.<br /><br />I don't know who you normally associate with, but if you really are a neuroscientist, I rather doubt that you've actually met that many people who think that emotions are centered in the heart or that they're "shocked" when they read about a new scientific discovery.<br /><br />While it may be true that there one day may be a method to observe the most infinitesimal functions in the human brain, (without such method exerting an influential effect on what is observed), how would these observations then be interpreted, and by whom?<br /><br />There might well be subtle differences between the brain of one person who responds to a question with "oui" and another who responds to the same question with "yes". What would make more sense: investigating these differences by using expensive, sophisticated, technological methods to observe them, or learning the difference between French and English?wZwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11407927366043206705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-78074128673646930222011-01-19T04:58:35.985-06:002011-01-19T04:58:35.985-06:00Just don't forget, he shot, at close range, a ...Just don't forget, he shot, at close range, a beautiful adult female (in the freaking head), and another beautiful nine year old (in her tiny little chest). <br /><br />I'm not accusing anyone here of being insensitive. The topic is about sanity or insanity.ToryIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01545167079753601565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-41364073585922871312011-01-17T11:33:46.061-06:002011-01-17T11:33:46.061-06:00Brilliantly put. Psychiatry inherently involves no...Brilliantly put. Psychiatry inherently involves normative judgment, as opposed to medicine. Or as I like to say, if you live in North Korea, you're insane if you're too religious, if you live in Iran, you're insane if you're not.<br /><br />I find particularly hilarious the lawmaker who's proposing a bill to allow involuntary commitment of those who have lost contact with reality, even without evincing signs of posing a danger to self or others. Around half of Americans believe the earth to be 6,000 years old. We're going to need a lot more cages...Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-56411380112176475032011-01-15T07:00:45.633-06:002011-01-15T07:00:45.633-06:00Sorry about the outdated link. Google the book tit...Sorry about the outdated link. Google the book title and you'll find it.Sheldon Richmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672237234580563637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-17720977510029572102011-01-14T21:32:38.222-06:002011-01-14T21:32:38.222-06:00Judges and prosecutors, lawyers and psychiatrists,...Judges and prosecutors, lawyers and psychiatrists, all protest their passionate desire to know why a person accused of a crime did what he did. But their actions completely belie their words: their efforts are now directed toward letting everyone speak in court but the defendant himself -- especially if he is accused of a political or psychiatric crime. -- Thomas Szasz, <i>The Second Sin</i>, p. 40. (Anchor, 1973)Nicolas Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15094228433358695581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-22177179018261155752011-01-14T11:39:21.086-06:002011-01-14T11:39:21.086-06:00Nice job, Sheldon. I'm a neuroscientist (actu...Nice job, Sheldon. I'm a neuroscientist (actually affiliated with the same hospital as Szasz, though I've never met him in person). My take is that most people (including the vast majority of politicians) are so unfamiliar with the brain that they're incapable of making judgments about these sorts of issues. I guess you could say that's true about virtually everything the legislature has to make decisions about. After all, they're professional politicians, not professional neuroscientists, petroleum engineers, or even economists.<br /><br />[Even if we dismiss the obvious cronyism component of the BP disaster, for example, politicians were NEVER equipped to make judgments about what constitutes "safe" and "reasonable" drilling procedures, no matter how many experts they consulted.]<br /><br />Anyway, I'm reminded of an old All in the Family episode where Archie Bunker explained that the heart is where your emotions are stored. This drew laughs, but I think it actually summarizes quite well the view that most people hold. I always find it amusing that people are shocked when scientists discover differences in the brain (whatever they may be) that underlie different behavioral or cognitive tendencies. Where else did they expect these differences to reside? In the liver?MarkZnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-11670502366380070962011-01-14T09:11:49.675-06:002011-01-14T09:11:49.675-06:00Sheldon,
I knew you would post something Szasz in...Sheldon,<br /><br />I knew you would post something Szasz in light of recent events. I agree about Insanity. I might lean toward Manufacturing Madness or Ceremonial Chemistry for the second choice. But you really can't go wrong picking up any of his books. I was going to post a link to a talk he gave at Cato in 2003 (I think Bovard was there) but the link is broken.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-18656338627820010382011-01-13T23:49:05.036-06:002011-01-13T23:49:05.036-06:00Ditto Bovard, whence I got this link. -- To be rec...Ditto Bovard, whence I got this link. -- To be recommended to my daughters.Terry Hulseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-3105961646487742022011-01-13T18:49:26.939-06:002011-01-13T18:49:26.939-06:00I don't know if the link to the book is from t...I don't know if the link to the book is from the original article, but it leads to nullspace for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-68758025691098466282011-01-13T16:31:52.668-06:002011-01-13T16:31:52.668-06:00You fine gentlemen are too kind!You fine gentlemen are too kind!Sheldon Richmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672237234580563637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-38975264794277046422011-01-13T16:13:28.498-06:002011-01-13T16:13:28.498-06:00Quaduple (and more) bravos!
Anthony StadlenQuaduple (and more) bravos!<br /><br />Anthony StadlenAnthony Stadlenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10748673258255174330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20077444.post-41155837593933925022011-01-13T13:45:11.284-06:002011-01-13T13:45:11.284-06:00Bravo!Bravo!Jim Bovardhttp://www.jimbovard.comnoreply@blogger.com