In article <43525ce3.0201130613.6d731151 at posting.google.com>, mat
<mats_trash at hotmail.com> writes
> However most psychiatric drugs are based
>on "deterministic/reductionist" theory (what else could they be based
>on?!
These treatments are based on empirical observation- simply the
practical fact that they have been found to be useful- rather than any
philosophical stance.
>). SSRIs for depression and agents affecting the dopaminergic
>systems for schizophrenia have shown how these chemical systems in
>concert with others define 'us'.
!!!
This is a truly wild claim, up there with any religious crackpottery.
(As a side issue it is worth noting that a range of neurotransmitter
systems have been implicated in schizophrenia, not just dopamine.
Clozapine- the most effective antipsychotic drug currently known- is
thought to exert its actions more through glutamatergic than dopimanergic
pathways.)
> Susan Greenfield at Oxford is an
>expert on dopamine and also interested in consciousness. She believes
>simply that the electrochemical dynamics of our brains are equivalent
>to our minds.
Yes, I have heard her speak on this. It was very unimpressive. She is an
expert neurophysiologist but her forays into philosophy of mind have
added little to the field IMHO. Perhaps I have missed something.
Regards
--
Nick Medford
