Perplexed comments on Open Thread, September, 2010-- part 2 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: NancyLebovitz 17 September 2010 01:44AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 26 September 2010 01:04:06PM *  6 points [-]

I don't know what to make of this:

Suicide note

Article

The man who took his own life on Harvard's campus Saturday left a 1,904-page suicide note online.

According to the Harvard Crimson, Mitchell Heisman wrote "Suicide Note," posted at http://suicidenote.info, while living in an apartment near the school. The note is a "sprawling series of arguments that touch upon historical, religious and nihilist themes," his mother, Lonni Heisman, told the Crimson. She said her son would have wanted people to know about his work.

The complex note, divided into four parts, touches on Christianity, the Holocaust and social progress, among other topics, and mentions Harvard several times.

IvyGate calls the note "probing, deeply researched, and often humorous."

Heisman was 35 when he shot himself on the steps of Harvard's Memorial Church Saturday. He had a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Albany. According to the Crimson, he worked in area bookstores and lived on inheritance from his father, who died when he was young.

I've begun skimming a few of the chapters (the titles aren't anything if not provocative). On the one hand I am quite predisposed to view the entire work as mostly bunk, because manifestos of this nature often are. However on the other hand, the idea of a philosopher driven to death by his learning is a stimulating archetype enough for me to explore this. And yes I know that considering he quotes:

Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death. If this is true, and they have actually been looking forward to death all their lives, it would of course be absurd to be troubled when the thing comes for which they have so long been preparing and looking forward. —SOCRATES, PHAEDO

Its certain he was playing on that.

I've decided to post this here for rationality detox so I don't pick up any craziness (I'd wager a high probability of there being some there).

He seems to have developed what he terms a sociobiolgical analysis of the history of liberal democracy, reminiscent so far in parts of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals. This judging by a few excerpts of the ending chapter culminates in a kind of singularitarian view and the inevitability of human extinction at the hands of our self created transhuman Gods.

Comment author: Perplexed 26 September 2010 07:54:44PM *  3 points [-]

I don't know how much detox this provides, but this blog has comments from three anonymous posters who claim to have known him.

I have known Mitch since he was born - he is my cousin - and the answer is in there - at age 12 he lost his father - and at the funeral I saw the spark of life go out in him. To loose a father and then describe it as a material process in-order to cope explains the next 23 years and ultimate end.

I knew Mitch and he had a good sense of humor. I'm happy to hear his cousin's insight, as Mitch was a mysterious guy, not prone to intimate discussion. A lot of on-line bloggers are scoffing at his book, which irritates me...if they knew him, how passionate he was about it, they'd have more respect. I wish I could've helped Mitch somehow, but he wasn't one for heart-to-heart talks. A pleasant person to have around though, and I will miss him. For someone with Aspberger's he really tried hard to socialize...at barbecues, art shows, parties, and on hikes. I wish his book all the best.

I knew Mitch for several years and I didn't know he had Aspberger's. I always enjoyed our talks. I think his book will get out there. Whether that is for the good or not, I don't know.