Are we more depressed because we're getting smarter?

[zackli]

The first rule of Discordia is don't talk about discordia.

No it isn't.

We're both right. No debate is possible in a world where everything is true, false, meaningful and meaningless. Any argument is just to fill the void that would otherwise exist.

[LMNO]

I hate to be the one to remind you, but Rule One is "Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men".

[zackli]

I hate to be the one to remind you, but Rule One is "Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men".

No it isn't! Yes it is! *ad infinitum*

TO BE CONTINUED...

[minuspace]

The first rule of Discordia is don't talk about discordia.

No it isn't.

We're both right. No debate is possible in a world where everything is true, false, meaningful and meaningless. Any argument is just to fill the void that would otherwise exist.

The above statement requires the qualification of discernment.  Otherwise, the distinction between unity and difference is groundless, and remains irreconcilable.  There is no argument because only understanding is both necessary and sufficient.

Or, on what ground can you attest that anything is meaningless (warning, trick question)?

[Reginald Ret]

I hate to be the one to remind you, but Rule One is "Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men".

I thought that was the first rule of Discworld?

[LMNO]

Isn't that where we are?

[Cain]

Obviously we're getting smarter because we're more depressed.

[Reginald Ret]

Isn't that where we are?

Hmmm, looking at the horizon I have to admit you are right. It doesn't seem curved at all!

Obviously we're getting smarter because we're more depressed.

Now that I could believe, depression keeps distracting emotions away. There is no fear failure strong enough to survive a clinical case of 'Whatever, nothing matters anyway.'

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

I remember reading a study somewhere that said that sadness serves the purpose of making us introspective. We get depressed and start taking good long looks at out lives to find out Where It All Went Wrong.

[Reginald Ret]

I remember reading a study somewhere that said that sadness serves the purpose of making us introspective. We get depressed and start taking good long looks at out lives to find out Where It All Went Wrong.

Sadness and depression are not at all the same thing.
Depression is often in response to unbearable sadness but it is the opposite of emotion.

[minuspace]

Depression is the purchase of emotion

I remember reading a study somewhere that said that sadness serves the purpose of making us introspective. We get depressed and start taking good long looks at out lives to find out Where It All Went Wrong.

Sadness and depression are not at all the same thing.
Depression is often in response to unbearable sadness but it is the opposite of emotion.

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

I remember reading a study somewhere that said that sadness serves the purpose of making us introspective. We get depressed and start taking good long looks at out lives to find out Where It All Went Wrong.

Sadness and depression are not at all the same thing.
Depression is often in response to unbearable sadness but it is the opposite of emotion.

While sadness and depression are not the same thing i would argue that depression is not in response to unbearable sadness, at least not when we're talking about a chronic emotional problem as opposed to a temporary state of prolonged sadness. Those who suffer from depression often struggle with negative thoughts about themselves and their lives that may have little to do with their current circumstances. This is what people often don't get about depression is that it isn't just a sad spell in response to some external stimulus, that normal sadness that everyone goes through. Depression is you brain, for whatever reason, emotional, chemical, or cognitive, focusing on negative thoughts again and again in a feedback loop. Yes, sometimes this leads to feeling emotionally numb, but that's usually after a longer period of feeling like the biggest piece of shit on the face of the earth, so i wouldn't call it the opposite of emotion.

[minuspace]

I remember reading a study somewhere that said that sadness serves the purpose of making us introspective. We get depressed and start taking good long looks at out lives to find out Where It All Went Wrong.

Sadness and depression are not at all the same thing.
Depression is often in response to unbearable sadness but it is the opposite of emotion.

While sadness and depression are not the same thing i would argue that depression is not in response to unbearable sadness, at least not when we're talking about a chronic emotional problem as opposed to a temporary state of prolonged sadness. Those who suffer from depression often struggle with negative thoughts about themselves and their lives that may have little to do with their current circumstances. This is what people often don't get about depression is that it isn't just a sad spell in response to some external stimulus, that normal sadness that everyone goes through. Depression is you brain, for whatever reason, emotional, chemical, or cognitive, focusing on negative thoughts again and again in a feedback loop. Yes, sometimes this leads to feeling emotionally numb, but that's usually after a longer period of feeling like the biggest piece of shit on the face of the earth, so i wouldn't call it the opposite of emotion.

Think of it this way.  Depression is not like a mental/emotive/attitudinal condition.  It is a physical state that, aside from whatever reason you may think, actually, is directly related to clinically low levels of serotonin.  The result of this is a general sense of disconnection that also pertains to emotion.  Shut up.

[minuspace]

Fuck it.  Did you know that even a sea-slug's brain grows on SSRI's?

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I get more depressed every time this thread gets a reply.