Posted by Ginny on May 29, 2000, at 13:45:58
In reply to Re: Truth = Diversion, posted by bob on May 29, 2000, at 11:57:24
"There simply is no such thing as a scientific truth. . . . There's no reason to get your undies bunched over the truth or lack thereof, in your humble opinion, about any of these theories. They are all different perspectives and approaches to the same set of problems."
Would you believe that precept, would you act upon it, if you consulted a physician about a big, ugly tumor on your kidney? Some people do, no doubt; some people believe in faith healers, all kinds of "alternative" medicine, etc. Pat Robertson, for example, has a lot to say about both Darwin and Freud. Does Big Pat deserve a voice in this debate?
"Since we need to deal with the reality of brain disorders . . . "
A bobesque hey Hey HEY! What would the deconstructionist seminar make of that phrasing? Without scientific ground rules, who are we to say brain disorders are real? Who are we to say that emotional malady arises from brain disorders? Perhaps I was born under a bad sign. Perhaps I am possessed by spirits. Perhaps I lack old-time religion. Perhaps I am oppressed by the bourgeoisie.
I suggest your laid-back approach to pragmatism (and I question whether that word has any meaning outside of a scientific context) is a luxury available to consumers (connoisseurs?) of science and not to scientists themselves. And not to me, for that matter. The reality and the importance of my distress is not open to debate. Thomas Kuhn notwithstanding, the day-to-day practice of science is essentially problem solving. I view my emotional ailments as problems for me to solve, and I have placed my bets on medical science for a solution. It is of utmost importance to me that my physician endeavors very deliberately to get it right, scientifically. In my view, mind science is at a stage where Freud et alia can, and should be, completely dismissed.
With undies smoothly arrayed,
Ginny
poster:Ginny
thread:34863
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000526/msgs/35113.html