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Perhaps it is because there is a separate substance called the soul that is affected by these ailments, and since it is not a biological system is unaffected by
by yters 16y ago
Perhaps it is because there is a separate substance called the soul that is affected by these ailments, and since it is not a biological system is unaffected by our biological methods.
A popular idea? No. Fits the evidence well? Yes.
- araneae 16y agoThe absence of evidence is not equivalent to evidence.
- yters 16y agoI maintain there is positive evidence as well as negative. For instance, having a supportive social group has a significant impact on psychological wellbeing. What is the biological or chemical mechanism in this case?
- araneae 16y agoI have no clue. That's not my area of expertise. I bet if you're interested there's quite a bit of research on it, though. What are you getting at?
- chc 16y agoWhat evidence does that hypothesis fit? What predictive value does it have?
- yters 16y agoA) Biological solutions do not work B) Psychological solutions work a bit better, but they tend to be behaviorist solutions So, there is at least a progression of greater effectiveness the more we move towards "soulish" solutions. C) Prediction is the better we understand what the soul needs, just like understanding our psychological needs, the more effective we will be at healing problems with the soul.
- chc 16y agoSpiritual solutions have not been demonstrated to work any more than biological solutions have — less so, actually, since there are drugs for treating schizophrenia with some degree of efficacy. We can't say, "Thing X is not proven, therefore Unproven Thing Y must be true" — that's illogical.
- yters 16y agoI know people who have successfully exorcised demons: http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/10/04/cosmetic-surgery-and-exorcisms/ http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/10/04/cosmetic-surgery-... Plus, how much have you looked into things such as spiritual disciplines? Meditation comes up here on HN quite often, which would be one spiritual solution to psychological problems.
- AnthonBerg 16y agoI wouldn't exclude that reason myself. Can you elaborate, though?
- yters 16y agoOne point is that the causal chain should largely be reversed when we look at the relation between biological phenomena and different psychological ailments. Treating the chemicals should be considered mostly treating symptoms. Unfortunately, many children today are over medicated because doctors think that if they've removed the symptom (i.e. ADD) they've fixed the problem. Second, we should look at what the soul needs. For example, if the soul is a separate, higher substance it will not be satiated by a lower substance. As Jesus says, "man does not live by bread alone." The only thing at the level of a soul is another soul. So, souls need relationships with other souls. Theology also comes into the picture here, since theology claims the only thing higher than a human soul is God. So, ultimate satiation for our soul is found in God. The medieval church has extensive experience and spiritual disciplines aimed at connecting our souls to God. Thus, theology becomes an important aspect of psychology.