Azathoth123 comments on Questions on Theism - Less Wrong

23 Post author: Aiyen 08 October 2014 09:02PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (188)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: hyporational 09 October 2014 12:23:57PM *  1 point [-]

Right. One of my patients thinks he's Robin Hood, has made a cape of his blanket and tries to rescue other patients on the wards. He doesn't remember who he is, how old he is, where he is or why. What's fake about saying his sense of reality is gravely distorted? Doesn't stating that predict anything about his behavior?

Comment author: Azathoth123 10 October 2014 01:52:49AM 0 points [-]
Comment author: hyporational 10 October 2014 02:48:48AM *  0 points [-]

Yes, psychosis is a useful explanation for miracles only for people whose beliefs won't explain the whole category away. I doubt the op has such beliefs.

Comment author: Aiyen 15 October 2014 07:01:15PM 1 point [-]

No, I don't have any beliefs that would claim that psychosis doesn't exist, don't worry. I can't think of any hypothesis that would claim this without being far more complicated than the conventional "mental illness is a thing" view, and thus being eliminated by Occam's Razor.

Comment author: hyporational 16 October 2014 04:11:09AM *  1 point [-]

So would you agree that a significant number of the accounts of miracles, not all, happen because of psychosis? Of course, hallucinations could be one the ways that a god communicates. What do you think about that? :)