tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393585416528924730.post914856808611098454..comments2022-04-13T12:43:18.414-07:00Comments on Theory Parker: What Robin Williams Death Say About Ustheoryparkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08193567910878615371noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393585416528924730.post-9815974126342807362015-04-18T18:36:22.400-07:002015-04-18T18:36:22.400-07:00Thanks for the comments, Ashley. To reply: 1) I th...Thanks for the comments, Ashley. To reply: 1) I think people do themselves a disservice by obsessing over the manner of death. I think it is irrelevant. Focusing on the fact that it was suicide subtracts from his artistic achievements. That should be the focus of his passing, not the manner of death. In any case, perhaps 'dishonored' wasn't the right word to use. 2) Depression is a chemical imbalance. Any extreme behavior - or that which is seem as extreme - is some kind of deviation from the norm. All we are, are chemicals and chemical reactions. No single medication works on all people because human chemistry varies enough at the cellular level to make a difference in that respect. But you are right that an imbalance of chemicals CAN BE a disease, but not all are. 3) Suicide is only a selfish act from the viewpoint of other people. Other people are not the one's who have the right to do what one will with their life and have no access to someone else's inner state. We can all say what we want about suicide, but I contend that it is other people who are selfish by claiming it is the suicidal who are selfish. (Though, I would on the other hand argue that suicide bombers are indeed selfish since their intent IS to hurt others.)theoryparkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08193567910878615371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393585416528924730.post-61061594398860884052015-04-10T10:12:42.958-07:002015-04-10T10:12:42.958-07:00Philosophical discussion. I quite enjoy your blog ...Philosophical discussion. I quite enjoy your blog by the way.<br /><br />Who is injured by an interest in the method of his death? In what way is it harmful? You claim that anyone with a conscious is prevented from caring about it, do you truly believe that the majority of people are without conscious?<br /><br />I grant that it is unlikely that anyone is really upset by the details, interest wouldn't be that high if they really were. But, in what way is a man dishonored by releasing the manner of his death? Unless one grants the premise that suicide is inherently a bad act, in which case surely the method doesn't matter, does it? Do we wish to prevent ourselves from judging him for the scene he left for his family?<br /><br />I also resist the idea that an imbalance of chemicals is not a disease AND the idea that depression is an imbalance of chemicals. We haven't conclusively proven that depression is any one thing, which is why no single antidepressant works on all depressed patients. As for chemical imbalances, surely you would describe diabetes as a disease, and it is an imbalance of chemicals. Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease is an imbalance of chemicals.<br /><br />Deviation in the opposite direction is called mania, and in fact depression is a unipolar expression of mood disorder at which mania is the opposite end. Happiness is not the opposite of depression, though, and mania would not accurately be described exclusively as happiness, but also as agitation and impulsivity and a number of other concurrent expressions of a highness of mood. The analogy to cult membership is not off, though, just watch that video of Tom Cruise.<br /><br />I also am not sure that I agree that it was wholly Robin Williams decision to make as he was not the only one impacted by the decision, but I think that suicide is a deeply selfish act because of how it increases the likelihood of those around you killing themselves; even more true in Williams' case. Somewhat like not getting vaccinated. Mitigated here somewhat by the fact that he was suffering from much more than depression. I highly recommend the book Stay by Jennifer Michael Hecht if you're interested in a very layman's approach to the subject of suicide. That said, we do know that Williams sought help his entire life, which is likely the reason he lived as long as he did.Ashley F. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07086987035278450282noreply@blogger.com