Never "mess around", was Re: Fast-acting 5-HTP supplementation for accute despair

From: Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Date: Sun Jul 16 2000 - 05:54:01 MDT


That's not what Eliezer said. He said nothing about making an exception
for "clinical" cases. And you shouldn't "mess around" with
*electricity*, for heaven's sake! That stuff can *kill* you in
*milliseconds*, you know.

CYMM wrote:
>
> Eliezer is right,
>
> If you're not clinically depressed (and preferably professionally diagnosed
> as such by a good psychiatrist); don't mess around with the serotonergic
> system. Don't mess around with the dopaminergic system (cocaine etc..) or
> the glutaminergic system (DXM) either...
>
> I suppose you're free to mildly tweak the cholinergic system - you get
> smarter & live longer I hear (...well, at least if you're a mouse!).
>
> cymm
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky <sentience@pobox.com>
> To: extropians@extropy.com <extropians@extropy.com>
> Date: Saturday, July 15, 2000 9:59 PM
> Subject: Re: Fast-acting 5-HTP supplementation for accute despair
>
> >For those of you who may have joined the Extropians list recently, I'd
> >just like to repeat my warning about tampering with the serotenergic
> >systems: It may reduce your intelligence, blunt your creative edge, and
> >otherwise screw up your mind.
> >
> >This warning based on personal experience, plus some post-facto
> >rationalization and generalization.
> >
> >Besides, severe depression is good for you.
> >
> >Yours,
> >Eliezer.
> >--
> > sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
> > http://singinst.org/beyond.html



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