Azathoth123 comments on Neo-reactionaries, why are you neo-reactionary? - Less Wrong

10 Post author: Capla 17 November 2014 10:31PM

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Comment author: Azathoth123 27 November 2014 06:54:49AM 6 points [-]

People who sleep with their same sex do not necessarily identify as homosexuals, and definitely not all homosexuals identify as transgender.

Sorry if my wording wasn't clear.

No valid argument exists to equal homosexuality per se with, (..) or having a psychiatric disorder.

I don't see what argument you can possible make for why say transsexuality shouldn't be considered a psychiatric disorder but being an "other kin" should. Today people who call transsexuality a psychiatric disorder are labeled "evil trasphobes", the way progressivism is going in a couple decades people, like yourself, who call other-kinness a psychiatric disorder will be labeled "evil other-kinphobes".

Comment author: polymathwannabe 27 November 2014 01:22:03PM -2 points [-]

Again, you are confusing homosexuality and transgenderism.

Same-sex attraction is not classified as a mental disorder and does not require any medical intervention.

On the other hand, gender dysphoria is classified as a mental disorder in the DSM, and the treatment is helping your body match your brain, not the other way around. "There is also evidence that transsexuals have parts of their brain structure that is typical of the opposite birth-assigned gender." That's why in another comment I said it's firmware: your gender identity cannot be 'repaired' because it's wired in your brain, and that's why the treatment is modifying your netherparts instead.

The problem with otherkin is that they deny their own humanity, which is in a completely different category than denying one's femaleness. (However, if future surgical advances allow anyone who wants to get functional hooves and wings implanted, I say let them be happy.)

Comment author: Azathoth123 28 November 2014 05:37:56AM 5 points [-]

On the other hand, gender dysphoria is classified as a mental disorder in the DSM, and the treatment is helping your body match your brain, not the other way around.

Um, you do realize the DSM's contents is massively influenced by politics?

Comment author: polymathwannabe 28 November 2014 01:15:19PM *  -1 points [-]

It's also listed in the WHO's ICD, if you prefer that source.

Comment author: Azathoth123 01 December 2014 02:58:39AM 2 points [-]

I'm not as familiar with WHO's ICD; however, I'd expect the process that produces its contents to be similar to the one for the DSM.

Comment author: gjm 01 December 2014 01:14:32PM *  -2 points [-]

Neither Bryan Caplan's post at the other end of that link, nor the Wired article he in turn links to, appears to me to be saying that the contents of the DSM are "massively influenced by politics".

[EDITED to add:] For the avoidance of doubt, I agree that both make a lot of criticisms of the DSM. I just don't see that "massively influenced by politics" is what they're complaining about.

Comment author: pragmatist 27 November 2014 11:28:52AM *  -2 points [-]

I don't see what argument you can possible make for why say transsexuality shouldn't be considered a psychiatric disorder but being an "other kin" should.

How about the fact that everything we know about ontogeny suggests that gender of a child of human parents should be more fluid than its species, since the determination and development of gender-typical physiology in utero is complex and multivocal? There are ontogenetic factors (insufficient uptake of testosterone, for instance) that might lead to a child with male-typical sexual organs but more female-typical neurological features. There aren't any analogously complex species-determining processes involved in the development of a child.

Comment author: Azathoth123 28 November 2014 05:37:07AM 3 points [-]

There are ontogenetic factors (insufficient uptake of testosterone, for instance) that might lead to a child with male-typical sexual organs but more female-typical neurological features.

Why would this effect the neurological and only the neurological features? On the other hand the example of other-kin shows that it's possible for a human brain to identify as something it isn't.