Not actually a technological issue, but interesting science nevertheless because so many of my bright friends have some psychological issues, particularly with depression and anxiety:
http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/why-highly-intelligent-people-suffer-more-mental-and-physical-disorders
9 comments:
The physical "disorder" i agree with most - there's sympathetic and para sympathetic physiological modes. The article mentions this.
As for these intelligent people with mental problems . . . who are these smart people with mental problems? Name a famous scientists(or, how about a major mathematician), that you consider to have emotional/mental problems? Galileo perhaps? How about Leonardo Da Vinci? Leonardo was homo-sexual, and I consider homo-sexuality an emotional problem(the human sexual organs are awkward, ugly, and sex is gross; yes, this is true, but you need to be a grown up about it, and accept nature the way it is),
how about Isaac Newton? Does he have an emotional/mental problem? Most people would say yes. But, I find this more to be a guy who saw the mental/emotional problems of an irrational society; he put up his mental guards and stayed there. This Isaac Newton example is perhaps a good one for my own criticism of the psychologists mental/emotional disorders. If someone gets pissed off because some asshole, the psychologists just say, "oh, you have bipolar or schizophrenia." They go to the guy who retaliates, and not the originator.
We could go on to Maxwell, perhaps? How about Albert Einstein? Does he have a mental problem?
So, you put this up because you're friends have mental/emotional problems(according to you). Who are these friends? Eric Drexler perhaps? How about Bill Joy? Chris Phoenix? Maybe Mike Treder has an emotional problem?
You're friends don't seem to post on your blog here; maybe they have a mental problem?
- Well, I know one mathematician friend who has some emotional problems. He has over a thousand facebook friends. I've often thought that those with a thousand friends have some emotional problems. They need to belong, and they need lots of pets. I've kicked this guy out three times now. I don't know what his problem is; but, he has some problem with me; but, he wont' say what. He won't like my birthday present to him; he makes no more replies to the posts I make on his facebook wall; but, he won't tell me what his problem is. But, my other mathematician friends, I would say, do not have these emotional/mental problems. I'm mathematical history literate. I know the great mathematicians; and, I don't see a lot of mental/emotional problems.
The smart people have mental/emotional problems is a myth, imo. The smart people with mental/emotional problems are probably the ones that are not that great. They're the ones most prone to psuedo-science mixing with real science. And, then they act mature anyways.
- Back to Eric Drexler and Co. I suppose I could start with Chris Phoenix. I tried pretty hard to point out the dark ages, and irrationality to him - I asked what he thought of Carl Sagan's chapter 7 of his Cosmos series - about the Greeks. He could not reply for over a year, before I tried to explain to Eric Drexler about the nature of mathematics. I essentially pointed out that mathematics is the real unified view of mankind. That Jacob Bronowski points out the common trait between mathematics and poetry - analogy. But, mathematics is constructive and rigorous; while Poetry is vague and not constructive. I pointed out that it seems quite clear to me that the mental problems of mankind is that they either don't question assumptions, or refuse to do so. And, that they make over/under generalisations. Eric Drexler replied quite violently. I've delt with this type of behavior all my life even up to then(this was fire or more years ago now), and I did not kiss his ass. He blocked my subsequent emails!
I've tried to talk to Christine Peterson about this, and well, I give her reply in the replies section of a blog post about mine, where I hit on the type of language of those who live in fear or new ideas, and try not to think - here
http://wwwscientifichumanism.blogspot.com/2015/06/astro-picture-for-day-sophie-and-silas.html
To be a creative mathematician/scientist requires overcoming some bias - overcoming some emotional problem, to overcome fear of new thoughts.
The idea that scientists/mathematicians have mental/emotional issues is a myth. It's non-intellectuals describing other's who can get through a school exam, but are not real intellectuals.
"As for these intelligent people with mental problems . . . who are these smart people with mental problems? Name a famous scientists(or, how about a major mathematician), that you consider to have emotional/mental problems? Galileo perhaps? How about Leonardo Da Vinci?"
I'm referring to people I know personally and deeply enough for such issues to be revealed. I'm pretty sure I never got to know Galileo, Da Vinci, Newton, Maxwell or even Einstein all that well. I have conversed with Drexler and Peterson, but I know neither well enough to know if they have mental issues. Anxiety and depression often remain well hidden and it can take a long time for people to feel comfortable revealing those issues (or even recognizing them, sometimes!). I find that especially true among bright people, who may not like to admit to such things.
"You're friends don't seem to post on your blog here; maybe they have a mental problem?"
I'm not sure why you're getting snarky here. I rarely have ANYONE post on this (or my other) blog; it's mainly just a useful place to store news updates to share with people I know. My friends tend to respond to these posts via email, not blog comments.
"The smart people have mental/emotional problems is a myth, imo."
Great. As I said in my post, I found this article interesting. I neither endorsed nor condemned it.
Star Trek - "I need my pain"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGwEP7AZHg
Having depression is no more a mental problem than a muscle starting to ache when you work out to much.
I'm affraid that I feel the need to continue this.
- A few stories. One was about a Hespelt character in the Navy. When I got to my first command, there was a guy named Hespelt(real last name; don't know his first). He was indeed a bit incompetant and a dork. The problem was the others in the shop, and in the command for that matter often told him so. Then, after a year or so of my experience watching this, he told me he was hearing voices. He wasn't hearing voices; he just gave up and said "O.k. I'm crazy; so, I'll be crazy." The command, of course, threw him in the psyche ward.
I have my suspicions about another person who supposedly had mental problems . . .
Carrie Fisher was told she's bipolar. I've never heard either Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill ever say they thought she was bipolar. She was on drugs since before she even knew them. But, they told her and convinced her she was bipolar. She took the medicines, continued to drink 15 cokes a day, do drugs, and withered away.
I remember playing Madden online. I played against some trickster, who would block punts, and then do onside kicks the whole game. He'd stop the game midway and tell me to bad about his playing. I hadn't said anything. After the game, he told everyone I was a cheater and not to play me.
People tell people they've got depression the way Terrell Owen's said Qb Jeff Garcia is gay. Of, they say people who talk to themselves have mental problems. Or, how about whoever Paul was who said the Jews not only killed Jesus Christ, but killed their own profits, and have persecuted us christians! - 1Thessalonians 2:15
- Having depression is no worse than a muscle aching after a hard workout. I agree with Captain Kirk in Star Trek 5 here,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGwEP7AZHg
I don't want to get rid of my pain; i want my pain; if I didn't have pain in my workouts, I wouldn't know that I've worked out enough. If I didn't cry, I'd wonder about my humanity! Shouldn't I be sad about sad things? Or feel pain when someone said some hurting words towards me? If I hadn't, I'd wonder if I was biologically working correctly!
- As for my getting snarky . . . well, I'm just struck by people not being able to talk. I tried posting and talking to a Aaron Elkins . . . I think I told you this - about his lie detector. And, he just refuses to say anything. He deleted tweets when I tweeted.
I point out that Jacob Bronowski notes the common property of analogy between mathematics and poetry. And, well, I've never seen Jacob explicitly say this, but mythology is poetry. And, that mathematics is constructive, while poetry is vague. I pointed this out to an Acharya S, one of my most willing to question the bible and anything religious, and she flips out! I mean, I point out new ideas to people related to what they're doing, and . . . door gets slammed and they run and hide.
I post my Gospel of Truth at Skeptics Annotated Bible messageboard, and . . . they get offended! As if my Gospel of Truth is going to take traffic away from their website or something!
It just seems like I have do something more to open them up lately. Kind of like Seargent Barnes, here, who feels the need to put a long furry centipede in Junior's boots to see if he's faking to get out of thinking new thoughts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5DebAWMdEA
If I hadn't gone snarky; would you have replied?
end of conversation?
Here's Prof. Jennifer Doudna, who towards the end of this talk says "she felt depresion". Well, sounds more like she felt some sad implications and possibilities of her work, and called it depresion.
This is what people, including psychologists do. And, they administer drugs.
This is probably what Carrie Fisher did; she felt some kind of sad feeling, called it depression, and the doctors called her bipolar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_acKJnN5-1M
- Just listen to her; she's perfectly coherent! She's not insane. Calling it depression and a disorder is medieval!
"end of conversation?"
I thought I made my position pretty clear and needed no repeating. The rest of what you said were largely opinions that don’t resonate with me. So I really don’t have anything to say.
"I'm just struck by people not being able to talk."
I suspect it’s just a lack of interest in what you’re talking about, not any deliberate attempt to be rude.
"If I hadn’t gone snarky; would you have replied."
Yes. You were laboring under a couple of misperceptions that I thought I should clear up.
"This is what people, including psychologists do"
That's an example of something that doesn’t resonate with me. I’ve personally known enough psychologists and patients suffering from bipolar, depression and anxiety conditions to know that such a statement isn’t going to lead anywhere. It would take a lot of effort to figure out whether you know anything about the field (the claim about Fisher not showing obvious bipolar symptoms leads me to suspect there’s a lot about the condition you don’t know) and then explain any misconceptions...and I just don’t have the time for that. Sorry. But thanks for posting.
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=B2lEWtnJIeuK0wKUiq_oDw&q=putin+has+asperger%27s&oq=putin+has+asperger%27s&gs_l=psy-ab.3...128071.135391.0.135490.23.21.1.0.0.0.161.1806.17j4.21.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.8.801.0..0j0i131k1j0i10k1.0.EjxctIEgrzo
Putin does not have Aspergers. I remember some friend's of my parents suggested to them that I have aspergers.
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