[ExI] Damian with an a

[John Grigg]

Damien U wrote:
I am particularly interested in the question of whether it would be
desirable to do the work of counselling/psychotherapy with a pill. In
other words, if you could swallow a pill (where pill=some form of as
yet undreamed-of but technologically-based therapy) and have all your
problems disappear, would that be better (in a given sense) than going
through the motions of solving the problems yourself (or at least
trying to)?
>>>

This reminds me (as we use our currently rather crude medical
technologies) of the classic book about antidepressants, "Listening to
Prozac."  The author felt that in some cases medication could work
wonders on patients (within a few weeks/months) in ways that years of
talk therapy just could not.  But as I understand things, it is widely
believed that a combination of talk therapy and medication is best for
most people who suffer from serious depression.  And then there is the
idea of "cosmetic pharmacology" where a healthy person takes
antidepressants to be "better than well."

WELCOME TO THE LIST!  : )

John


On 6/22/10, udend05 at aol.com <udend05 at aol.com> wrote:
> Well then, I am Damian U., if you like.
>
>
> I cannot remember what got me on to transhumanism in the first place (though
> I'm sure it must have stemmed from my love for Banks' Culture), but I
> remember it hitting me with the icy clarity of a no-brainer. I mean, in a
> nut-shell, that the notion of improving ourselves and our lot, across the
> wide spectrum of types of person, is without doubt a desirable thing. I can
> point to many examples of where I feel transhumanism enters this life: I
> want the best education/training/love/support and so on for my two children
> - why not want the best genes, augmented capabilities etc. as well? I have
> worked with autistic children for twelve years and I have seen the
> tremendous amount of suffering this debilitating condition causes - if the
> gene could be removed, the mirror neurons replaced/augmented, why not grasp
> the chance to alleviate that suffering? (A tendentious issue; one that
> braves the disapprobation of a politically correct formulation of personal
> worth and value. That for another time, though.). For myself, I want to have
> read all the great novels and seen all the great films, travelled to all the
> cities of this world and listened to and learned to love all the music ever
> written - and why shouldn't I? If technology can do it for me, bring it on.
> Finally, politically. If something like nanotechnology can rid us of
> scarcity and take us into the stars, we are surely duty-bound to try it.
> Evolution has given us a chance (or staggered blindly towards an
> opportunity, if you prefer). We'd be mad not to take it.
>
>
> My background is in philosophy and I am currently working towards being a
> professional counsellor with a view to doing postgrad' research into the
> link between the talking therapies and emerging technologies - I am
> particularly interested in the question of whether it would be desirable to
> do the work of counselling/psychotherapy with a pill. In other words, if you
> could swallow a pill (where pill=some form of as yet undreamed-of but
> technologically-based therapy) and have all your problems disappear, would
> that be better (in a given sense) than going through the motions of solving
> the problems yourself (or at least trying to)? I am also working on a
> screenplay that explores ideas around the abolutionist project, but that
> gets little attention in amongst everything else I have to be and do.
>
>
> That's (mostly (I left out my love for parentheses)) me.
>
>
> Damian U.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com>
> To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
> Sent: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:46
> Subject: [ExI] Damian with an a
>
>
> On 6/22/2010 4:37 PM, Gregory Jones wrote:
>
>> Do feel free to tell us a little about Damian please
>
> Do, please, and fling in your surname or first initial thereof, while you're
> at it, so we don't get mixed up. (Few people seem to notice the ia/ie
> distinction.)
>
> Damien B.
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>
>
>