[ExI] A Small Request

[Stathis Papaioannou]

On 11/02/2008, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:
> Stathis writes
>
> > If you develop a brain tumour one of the effects of which is that you
> > don't believe there is anything wrong with you, would you (i.e. the
> > present, healthy you) want to be forced to have treatment?
>
> Ideally, only if I had signed up for such a circumstance arising.

Most people would not sign such a contract, because they don't think
it will happen to them. Or rather, they think that if it happens to
them they will recognise it, and they don't trust anyone else to judge
that they have become irrational and need involuntary treatment. You
see, if you sign such a contract you are effectively allowing that
*right now* you might be delusional. You certainly feel confident that
you could prove that you are Lee Corbin, but there are patients in the
psychiatric ward who are just as confident that they are Jesus Christ.
It isn't a delusion if you know it's a delusion! And it won't help to
specify that certain trusted family and friends must be consulted
before the contractors drag you off for treatment if those family and
friends have been corrupted or replaced by alien shape-shifters.



-- 
Stathis Papaioannou