Zero_Sum wrote:Beyond cannibalism there were other behavioral dispositions of the experiment that was more notable and illustrative. Well, for a single planet like ours density is everywhere.
I'm sure there were. My point isn't that these dispositions don't or shouldn't count as mental disorders, just that even in these cases their standing as mental disorders is still based on social constructs. We label it a "disorder" because we don't like it (or we think it needs to be fixed, or we think it's the equivalent of being sick, etc.). It's not intrinsic--there's no "mental disorder" virus running through their system.
Behavioral sink is an extreme example and makes one feel silly saying that it doesn't count as a set of mental disorders, so I'll concede that those probably ought to be labeled as mental disorders, but even in saying this, I still recognize my acceptance of this label as coming from a social function (that of signaling a condition that's undesirable or should be fixed/avoided).
Cannibalism in particular is an interesting case. For the most part, I'd agree that it probably counts as a symptom of things gone awry, and usually signals something wrong with society or the environment, but in other examples, it could count as normal behavior or even an evolutionary advantage. For example, many tribal societies partake in cannibalism. In those societies, cannibalism is looked upon as just a custom, a part of their culture, not a disorder. Or take the example of extreme food shortages. In those cases, a willingness to resort to cannibalism can be seen as an advantage. Those who are predisposed to resort to cannibalism could be seen as the "healthy" ones, those who do what's required to survive, whereas those who aren't are seen as the "weaker" ones, those who lack what's required to survive.
None of this is to say that cannibalism isn't a disorder. It isn't to say that it
is a disorder either--rather, it is to say that what counts as a disorder and what doesn't depends on whether we see it as a good thing or a bad thing, a healthy thing or a sick thing, something needing to be fixed or something that can be left on its own.
^ That's my only point.
My thoughts |
My art |
My music |
My poetryA man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
- unknown source
Men must be taught as if you taught them not. And things unknown proposed as things forgot.
- Alexander Pope
Here lies the body of William J, who died maintaining his right of way.
He was right, dead right, as he sped along, but he's just as dead as if he were wrong.
- Boston Transcript
