David_Gerard comments on Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - Less Wrong

88 Post author: Yvain 13 August 2012 07:22PM

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Comment author: David_Gerard 13 August 2012 08:54:30AM *  8 points [-]

I've never read of any formal study of this, but given that someone must have tried explaining the Capgras delusion to Capgras patients I'm going to assume it doesn't work. Why not?

Off the top of my head, that people believe what their brain tells them above any outside evidence, c.f. religious conversion originating from what, to the outside view, is clearly a personal delusion - but, from the inside view, is incontrovertible evidence of God.

It takes very good and clear thinking for the lens to actually see its flaws even when you don't have brain damage to the bit that evaluates evidence. I'm somewhat surprised a rationalist with schizophrenia actually managed this. Though TheOtherDave has mentioned being able to work out that a weird perception was almost certainly due to the stroke he was recovering from, and Eliezer mentions someone else managing it as well.

Comment author: CronoDAS 14 August 2012 02:19:24AM 8 points [-]

John Nash claimed that he recovered from schizophrenia because "he decided to think rationally" - but this only happened after he took medications, so...

Comment author: [deleted] 14 August 2012 05:26:15PM 2 points [-]

religious conversion from what to the outside view is clearly a personal delusion but from the inside view is incontrovertible evidence of God

For what it's worth, in order to understand the syntax of this phrase, I had to start over about five times.

Comment author: David_Gerard 14 August 2012 08:17:27PM 1 point [-]

Commas added!