Re: extropians-digest V4 #53

Michael Bast (mbast1@hotmail.com)
Wed, 24 Feb 1999 10:11:28 PST

Thanks for the thoughts and comments, let me try to answer some:

From: "david gobel" <davegobel@erols.com>
>Subject: studying Cognitive Science and Psychiatry
>This is not intended to be depressing by the way...their are ways
out...

Your thoughts somewhat parallel my own, so thanks for the extra insights. I know there are other ways out, that's one of the reason this interests me.

>From: "Scott Badger" <wbadger@psyberlink.net>
>Subject: Re: studying Cognitive Science and Psychiatry
>
>Sorry I lost the original post.
>
>I humbly suggest that you reconsider your intentions.
>What bothers me is that you state that you have a
>very particular question you feel the need to answer.
>Already a bad sign. In addition, this question has
>something to do with you and your personal experiences.
>IOW, you seem to be seeking to understand yourself
>more completely. Though laudable, this is not a good
>reason to become a psychiatrist or cognitive scientist.

Actually the whole area interests me, and it has less to do with me than with people I know. I don't seem to be prone to depression at all, but I know some very intelligent people who are.

>Seek this line of work because you are completely
>fascinated with it and because you truly wish to make a
>contribution to the science, knowing full well that you are
>currently too ignorant/naive to know precisely how you will
>accomplish this task.
>
>Best wishes,
>
>Scott Badger
This pretty much does sum up my interest, and a number of related areas (language, psychiatry, neuroscience) seem to be involved. I think there should have been two separate questions (1-resources for finding out about cognitive science 2-a specific question about intelligence and lack of direction/depression). I do think if I could figure this one out I would be contributing to science and humanity, by freeing the intelligent/creative to be more productive (this negates the argument that madness moves a number of intelligent/geniuses). Thanks,
Mike



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