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How Neuroengineering Will Lift Your Depression - And Control Your Mind
San Francisco, 5:17 PM
Mon Dec 7
24 posts in the last 24 hours
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How Neuroengineering Will Lift Your Depression - And Control Your Mind |
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03/04/09
I believe in ethical science, and I really wonder how these researchers would feel if they were in the mouse's position. If the price of curing my depression is being comfortable with this kind of research... well, I'll keep my depression, thanks.
03/04/09
As I read these articles I thought of nightmare scenarios like "The Terminal Man", just to begin with. Speculative Fiction is rife with cautionary tales about exactly this technology. Hopefully these people have geeked out on the same material as us. It is scary, but this has a great potential for good.
03/04/09
The mouse reminds me of a story (Ursula LeGuin I think) about a guy who visits a city whose inhabitants are incredibly prosperous and happy... eventually he learns that those citizens' happiness is can only be sustained if a single child is kept in a room and tortured endlessly. Is the happiness of a whole city worth that child's suffering?
The thing about this is that there are other ways to cure depression; they just depend on more radical changes to the way people think. A lot of depression is a result of alienating social conditions... cure those conditions, and I think most depression would disappear. But that would require co-ordinated action and a lot more caring in the world. Maybe it's science fiction.
In the meantime, there's really promising work being done with mindfulness meditation combined with cognitive behavioural therapy as a treatment--at least in preventing relapse. I'd like to see more research going in that direction instead of torturing small animals.
03/05/09
03/04/09
I think he probably is thinking something more along the lines of "Human I shall kill you in your sleep for this, Human I shall kill you in your sleep for this..."
03/04/09
But in all seriousness, I'll stick to my perscription pills. I may be popping three kinds of antidepressants a day, but at least I'm in control.
03/04/09
No, that's wrong of me. Chronic depression is a bitch and I should know. I've been doing pretty well without meds for years, but I'm lucky that way. Good luck to you and keep fighting.
03/04/09
Just my luck, they'd put me to sleep and I'd wake up in a computer generated reality and then I'd have to beat up Hugo Weaving.
03/04/09
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03/04/09
But seriously, great articles. The potential of this work is mind-blowing. Thanks again io9, for stimulating my brain.
[turning left, turning left, turning left, turning left...]
03/04/09
"ALL HAIL IO9!!!"
03/04/09
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03/04/09
YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!
03/04/09
"oh yeah, oh yeah, that is the spot right there. press that comically large button on the back of my head you hot stud you!"
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03/04/09
Very cool articles, Science at its Maddest.