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I assume no such thing. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm pointing out that the author makes this assumption, implicitly, by suggesting that vision quests and o
by quanticle 4y ago
I assume no such thing. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm pointing out that the author makes this assumption, implicitly, by suggesting that vision quests and other traditional shamanic interpretations of psychosis are a better, more holistic way of dealing with "mad" people than modern medicine.
Yes, going out into the desert without supplies to perform a vision quest is certainly more romantic than a stint in a mental hospital. But it's certainly not safer.
- throwanem 4y agoSpeaking as someone whose survival to $CURRENT_AGE was once so poor a bet that a couple of life insurance underwriters you've heard of refused to take it at any price, I feel okay about saying that, if life were otherwise reliably safe, your argument here would weigh more than it does.
- quanticle 4y agoHow many of your relatives have died from bacterial infections? From getting kicked in the head by a horse? From being stabbed in a dispute? From drowning? From war? How often have you faced starvation? If you're arguing that the modern world is anywhere close to the same level of danger as the ancient world, then you're sadly mistaken.
- throwanem 4y agoIt's interesting that you seem to assume I could honestly answer "none" or "never" to all of those questions, but also beside the point, because the argument you're answering is not the one I made.
- yellowapple 4y agoAll of those things continue to be very relevant dangers in the modern world, too (well, except for the part about horses, but cars have certainly surpassed them as a substitute).
- WJW 4y agoYou can still die from those, but the odds of dying from bacterial infection have gone down dramatically.
- yellowapple 4y agoDepends on what part of the world you're in.
- mansoon 4y agoIt's not about safe. It's about: utility_positive_outcome * probability_postitive_outcome + utility_negative_outcome * probability_negative_outcome You've made these two smaller in absolute magnitude, but also biased things toward negative (look up the side effects of neuroleptics). You've also conveniently deprived those affected of their agency to have an opinion about this.