Comment by derleth | Hacker News Reader

Comment by derleth | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

There's absolutely nothing inherently wrong with heroin if it's used in a reasonable manner for something it can actually help with. It is, in fact, quite useful to deal with some kinds of physical pain. It's been eclipsed in recent decades by other kinds of opioids, but that's a difference of degree, not kind. Heroin isn't magically evil just because it's become a bogeyman 'substance of abuse' over the past few decades.

The point is that drugs are not inherently evil. Some drugs might be more harmful than beneficial, but that can only be determined by trials and evidence. Demonizing the things is the exact opposite of helpful.

In fact, I'll amplify the point: Injecting morality into things without a moral dimension is very harmful. It prevents people from looking at things rationally, by clouding the issue with emotional noise.

I agree and have no qualms with people's use of heroin, and have dabbled, myself. It was only presented as an example.

To amplify, there is nothing morally wrong with anti-depressants either. However morality is not the issue of my concern, the deadening of true self is.

I'm not too concerned if my "true self" dies, growth means change, and change can mean death of a previous "self"

I think you misunderstand what I mean by true self. Yes, our self does change at every moment and is "reborn." However, it is still a true self as it is not artificially modified.

Is artificially modifying one's self ipso facto a bad thing? What's your basis for this claim?

There is no basis for me claiming that artificially modifying one's self is a bad thing, as I never made that claim. I only pointed out an observation.

I find it extremely doubtful that you can actually give a definition of "true self" which meets the following conditions: 1) coherent and non-contradictory, 2) in accordance with reality, and 3) something a person should care about preserving.

I find it even more doubtful that you can give a definition of "artificially modified" which is meaningfully distinct from natural change.

Most descriptions of depression I have read sound like "the deadening of the true self" is what depression does, and any effective treatment would rather be the revival of the true self.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com