[net.religion] Scientific Attitudes

esk@wucs.UUCP (Eric Kaylor) (09/28/84)

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Please pardon the choice of newsgroups; this is a followup.

> From mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz):
> The scientific attitude towards schizophrenia should be descriptive, rather
> than prescriptive.  It may not be right to inflict a cure on what could be 
> an adaptive survival strategy, just as it may not be right to sterilize 
> people who don't fit some other societally determined standards.

The analogy to sterilization is dubious; does it serve any purpose other than
guilt by association?  Anyway, the attitude of science toward schizophrenia
has every right to be prescriptive.  And "adaptivity" has nothing to do with
it.  Schizophrenia is supposed to be a condition involving failure of 
rationality and loss of contact with reality.  A "prescription" is entirely
called for in such a case.  The old stricture against normative judgement in
science, as well as the supposed "descriptive/prescriptive" dichotomy, is
pure dogma.  (Followups to net.philosophy, please.)

				--The aspiring iconoclast,
				Paul V Torek, ihnp4!wucs!wucec1!pvt1047
Please send any mail directly to this address, not the sender's.  Thanks.