[lbo-talk] Philip Mirowski - Social Physicist

Vincent Clarke pclarkepvincent at gmail.com
Fri Mar 5 08:26:56 PST 2010


On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 4:18 PM, Chris Doss <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> wrote:


>
> I think you're confusing things here. The reason why MS is conceived of as
> a disease is because it contradicts our notions of what the human organism
> should be like. If we conceptualized MS as being some kind of mark of divine
> attention (or whatnot) it would not be considered a disease or an object of
> medicine. Psychotic delusions are analogous, since there is no way of
> knowing that we ourselves are not deluded in our appraisal of the other as
> being deluded. It's not like we would know.
>
>

"The reason why MS is conceived of as a disease is because it contradicts our notions of what the human organism should be like."

I'm content to let that line stand alone - as it's own self-criticism.

I would say this: please be my guest in telling someone with chronic MS that the only reason that they have a disease which confines them to a wheelchair is because "it contradicts our notions of what the human organism should be like". Please also be my guest in explaining your viewpoint to the neurologist studying demyelination and ways to slow down and counteract the problem... Actually while you're at it please explain to the patient's immune system that, you know, its actually okay to that its destroying the coating on brain-tissue and causing the patient horrible suffering - after all, these things are all relative.

Please though, prepare yourself for some much deserved anger and laughter...



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list