From: Robert Bradbury (bradbury@genebee.msu.su)
Date: Sat Jan 22 2000 - 10:11:59 MST
On Fri, 21 Jan 2000, Dana Hedberg wrote:
... Commenting on Spike's anti-emotion pills...
>
> I would hazard that those neurotransmitters that cause such an emotional
> reaction to abortion would be those that cause emotional reactions in
> general. Blocking them, or as I understand you, removing them from the
> equation of your mental make-up is tantamount to "roboticizing" your
> thought processes.
Removing the emotions entirely might tend to make one sociopathic
and that presumably is undesirable. Now, on the other hand strengthening
the rational mind and giving it a stronger "no/no-go" link to the
emotional centers of the mind would seem to be a good thing.
Fleeing from the lion on the savannas of Africa is a good thing.
Starting a brawl in a bar in Moscow when some Russkiis have had
a few too many drinks and call Americans bad words is not (at
least most days...).
The mental studies I've done in the past give my rational mind
a fair amount of seniority over my emotional mind. That doesn't
mean that I don't enjoy giving the emotions free reign once in
a while but does tend to mean part of me is always on the lookout
for something I might regret later. The brain is a multi-processor,
you can use it as such if you want.
Along those lines, that part is always *questioning* the emotions --
"Is there a point to that emotion? Is it useful? Does it make life
more fun or provide some meaning? etc." But I realize the emotions
don't "mean" anything and they should not be allowed to drive the car
without an adult present.
>
> Life isn't lived in a
> vacuum, and rather than try and create one in my mind, I think I would
> be better off through integration and understanding of my emotional,
> less rational heritage.
Well put.
> What this indicates
> to me is that the scope of this problem (abortion) is so vast that we
> should try to take into account all thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and
> actions when attempting to decide as a society what the best course of
> travel into the future should be.
True. There is little difference between an abortion and an SI
deciding to terminate the program of a sub-SI and erasing all
memory of it. And the jury is still unresolved on that problem.
Robert
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