If you give drugs to people who are depressed, and/or talk to them to make them feel better about life, in similar ways as you would give your patients drugs to make their legs heal faster, or advise them to do physiotherapy (psychanalysis for the body), and people treat suicidal people as having a chemical disorder in their brains that prevents them from being happy with life, then it seems that we are left with the conclusion that our happiness is merely a self-produced drug. Scientists say laughing improves your health, and general optimism enhances your capacities. Joy is a drug. Nothing but a drug. One that we produce ourselves, but a drug nonetheless...
http://suicide.mentalhelp.net/
I would be very happy if someone could prove me wrong, or explain this in another way, or do something to make this notion of happiness-as-a-mere-chemical go away. But it seems that people are treating the most delicate cases of unhapiness (the suicidal) with this notion of chemical disorder, which, I must say, doesn't look that much encouraging... I'm asking you to look at this as the transhumanists you strive to be, and not as the humane people you might be.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:59:43 MDT