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I disagree, suicide is selected into the genome to get useless parts to self destruct. Like how skin cells have to shift around to service the whole. He was re
by maeon3 15y ago
I disagree, suicide is selected into the genome to get useless parts to self destruct. Like how skin cells have to shift around to service the whole. He was reaching out to everywhere he could looking for validation and found none. Mixed with a stiff upper lip and a lack of desire to show weakness is a recipe for a feedback loop of perceived irrelevance. When all around you use actions to indicate that you are a burden, not an asset. Freeing up resources is good for the hive. he loved the collective, too much.
Your no's were part of the feedback loop, you couldnt have known the magnitude of what was happening, but your actions are part of his decision. Healing from this will take honesty, you can delude others but not yourself.
You are a part of it, but it wasn't your responsibility.
- buss 15y agoUgh, do not listen to opinions like this. You show a fundamental ignorance of human psychology and the effects of depression on an otherwise healthy mind.
- fennecfoxen 15y agoHe also shows a fundamental ignorance of evolutionary pressures, and basically makes up a story that fits his prejudices. There is, of course, much precedent for this in human history; for example, to demonstrate how black people were racially inferior. It's a fundamentally anti-scientific thing to do.
- TeHCrAzY 15y agoI'd like to see some references or research to back up your comment. As it stands, I down-voted you, as I don't think you are adding valuable content: I would happily reverse my down-vote if you can produce even a small amount of evidence for this, that can be further discussed and critiqued.
- 4ad 15y agoThere's no evidence supporting his claims, however, it's my opinion that there's no evidence supporting the current hypotheses in the psychology of depression either. There's too little skepticism surrounding psychology, no mathematical model that can make predictions and the scientific method is not employed. I take his post simply as a hypothesis based on an opinion and nothing else. Expressing skepticism to the hypothesis is healthy, and justified, but not expressing skepticism to the current state of affairs is not healthy and unjustified. I feel there's no need to downvote the guy for simply stating a non mainstream opinion. So far, opinions is all what we have in the field anyway.
- Peaker 15y agoAny genes that encode suicide would be selected against so quickly they would not make a dent in evolutionary history. There are selective pressures on societies, but they are utterly and completely dwarfed by the individual selective pressures. Whenever there is any sort of conflict between societal selection and individual selection, evolution will not give the former any say. The reason is that it takes many many generations for any genetic makeup to actually destroy societies as a whole, and it is an extremely rare event. Genetic selection based on individual success happens all the time.
- mikeash 15y agoSuicidal genes wouldn't be selected against if they conferred some greater advantage. See the sickle cell anemia gene for an example of something that's tremendously deadly yet evolutionarily favored in some circumstances.
- politician 15y agoOr if the genes were expressed after the age of bearing offspring passed...
- mikeash 15y agoThat would do it too. It seems unlikely that this would be the case in humans, since suicide affects so many young people, but it's at least theoretically possible. I suspect that the genetic components of suicide are side effects from the various genes that help make us smart.
- Peaker 15y agoSure, but that advantage must be one of the individual, not of society. Genes are selfish -- they help society only insofar as it helps the individual. They will never choose society's benefit over the individual's.
- mikeash 15y ago
- danssig 15y agoMilitant atheists often claim that religion, in the hands of the simple minded, is very dangerous. Thanks for providing an example on how this isn't unique to religion.
- AznHisoka 15y agoI have the guts to agree with this. He did NOT have responsibility but his words do have an effect.. Do our words have an effect on others? I think most intelligent ppl would say yes, even if the effect is small. I mean, you can't have your cake and eat it too... so the parent is absolutely right. When you are depressed, small things that may seem trivial like not answering a phone call, responding to an email, etc becomes a big deal as they pile up.. little by little, depressed people lose faith in both humanity, and themselves. It's very easy and convenient to say we don't have time, and very very very easy to say "talk to me when you're in trouble", but extremely hard to actually walk the walk in our busy, occupied lives