self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
I'm a transhumanist doctor. In a better world, I wouldn't need to add that as a qualifier to plain old "doctor". It would be taken as granted for someone in the profession of saving lives.
At any rate, I intend to live forever or die trying. See you at Heat Death!
Friends:
A friend to everyone is a friend to no one.
User ID: 454
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1hr ago
I think it's not at all clear that the earring's simulation of a person has sufficient fidelity to qualify as being the original person. It clearly has sufficient fidelity to qualify as being a person whom the original person would want to be, but that's not quite the same thing. Lots of people would prefer to be Elon Musk (or, well, at the very least Elon Musk before he went nuts); this doesn't mean that if we killed them all and replaced them with copies of Elon Musk, that would still be the same people.
I have no reason to disagree. But the crux of the issue is that I don't see any strong evidence that the system doesn't preserve identity and function, and plenty of evidence it does. Seriously, if your neocortex is atrophied to the point of being vestigial, and the system still acts just like you (or like you but better in the ways you endorse), where's that information coming from?
At the end of the day, we're arguing about the implications of a work of fiction. I wish to argue, and have argued, that my reading is consistent and (IMO) a more plausible understanding of the facts as presented, informed by IRL neuroscience and philosophy.
Props for mentioning that LLMs are worse than the Whispering Earring, though - and indeed, I'm unwilling to use them precisely because of this nonequivalence.
I use them all the time, but never uncritically. They are not superintelligences, but that doesn't stop them from being handy.
The Matrix has you, self_made_human. Or, at least, the social media algorithms do. Take off that earring; it's misaligned.
Unfortunately, I do care about establishing myself as a writer outside of niche internet forums. That's aligned with my own interests, and given that I've reproduced the entire essay here with an unobtrusive call to action at the bottom, I think I've aligned myself with what I perceive are the interests and convenience of the typical reader. If I didn't care about my work being read or signal boosted, it would never leave my note taking app.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
20hr ago
They usually predate (or are preyed on) by twinks. Most of the time, it doesn't come to police attention as the damage is limited to the psyche.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
20hr ago
Thanks, and the same to you and @HereAndGone2
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
Be the American the Japanese imagine you to be.
redtail_hawk.wav
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
Probably? It's a reasonably diplomatic way of saying so. I'd also assume they meant that you are functional and successful despite the diagnosis.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
I do not think that being a nerdy (possibly) autistic boy in an actual ghetto is ever a fun time, so I'm sorry you had to go through that but very happy you made it out intact.
I wouldn't even particularly advise you to go get a formal assessment done, at least if you don't see a need for it. Other than closure, for someone like you, all we can really offer is a label and (perhaps) a stronger case for workplace adjustments. If you're already doing fine and feel functional, what's the point?
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
I fucked around and found out. Being charitable to myself, it was a learning experience.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
Sigh. I guess it's time for me to look at foreskin reconstruction options.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1d ago
When I got diagnosed a few years back, the practitioner said that I had "a lot of well developed coping strategies".
There are only so many sincere compliments we can give without running afoul of the code of conduct. I'd take it.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Quite the opposite. It's most commonly seen in depression, though anabolic steroid abuse does lead to depression, sometimes.
Basically, you know the intuition that depressed people seem to move and speak slower? It's quite true, at least when the depression is severe enough.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Seriously? Because in the UK, it's still the most common term (with only a minority opting for psychomotor slowdown). I don't think I've ever seen anyone get PC over it so far IRL.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Well, try telling them that.
My time and patience for arguing with people being idiots is, sadly, quite limited. Especially when I'm not getting paid to do it. I don't recall an actual patient who showed up and demanded that something out of the ordinary be done for them because they have both diseases, but it's early days yet.
Even worse are the people who apparently have diagnosed (or suspected?) BPD, and then openly brag about it. Even on dating profiles.
Even worse? My man, that's even better. In the sense that I will selfishly give them points for being honest and waving a red flag at onlookers. I can tell you from experience that you do not want to know what it's like to date a BPD woman, especially one who was undiagnosed and wouldn't accept my suggestion that she get assessed for it. If people express their most obnoxious personality traits and then are proud of it, anyone still lets them into their life is too dumb to deserve much sympathy. Or perhaps they really value passionate hate sex, I can't judge too harshly.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
torquentes labia moverunt caput
If she tells you her labia's gone kaput from too much torque, you're either doing it very wrong or very right. I hope they her calling you a runt and asking you to move was expressed with affection too.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
In the sense that that it recognizes {no intellectual deficit plus some generic autism traits} as a sub-category? Yes. But Aspergers was handy. We got rid of it without a handy epithet to replace it.
It would be like replacing "mild depression" with "depression without suicidality, severe anhedonia, psychomotor retardation..." You have replaced a convenient and pragmatically helpful diagnosis with a more unwieldy one, with no clear benefit.
I am obviously am not an illustrious doctor
Don't worry, neither am I. At least the illustrious part.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I think 38% German is a very respectable amount: it corresponds to me being punctual (mostly, don't @ me @fttg) and generically responsible. Any higher and I'd lose the sense of humor, and what else do I have going for me?
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
The correct answer would be D, of course
I did not know that you graduated from casual competitive misogyny to homosexuality, but that is hardly uncommon either. Ah, the things I've heard catty gay men say about women... if I said half as much, I'd be in the lockup (not that I want to, I think women are pretty and caring and smell nice, and I constantly fraternize with the enemy).
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I will also interpret the autism score as indisputable proof that ADHD should not be placed anywhere near the autism spectrum.
I mean, that's the standard psychiatric consensus. And an opinion I share. They are very distinct clinical entities, though there definitely exist large numbers of people who are "AuDHD" in the sense they have both conditions. But that isn't special or worthy of a distinct diagnosis, anymore than someone with ADHD and depression has ADepressionHD.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Very German/autistic of you. I'm glad everything is working as expected.
(I would have enjoyed that too, albeit probably only 1/6th as much)
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Entirely within my expectations, ngl. I do think Aspergers deserves a place in modern psychiatric taxonomy, when up to 80% of people with autism have learning disabilities, then it at least served as a convenient shorthand for those of normal or above average intelligence. Well, I don't get consulted on either the ICD or the DSM, at least not yet.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I was thinking of tagging you, but the bit works best when you show up of your own volition.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I think it would be handy to have a per-user list too, and I am too broke/cheap to pay for Max.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
"Am I German or Autistic?"
http://german.millermanschool.com/
(I am neither German nor autistic, but it's good to confirm, through a psychometrically validated instrument that I'm a regular dude. Uh, I don't remember my results but I think it was 38% German and like 10% autistic?)
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
I don't think you, or the general user, can do that. It's in the mod log and our per user moderation history, but even there it'll lump multiple AAQCs together if they were in the same month.
self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
2d ago
Would "all they did do" make you happier? Because that is clearly true. The EU couldn't afford serious bloodshed over Greenland or war with the US. If Trump wasn't held back by domestic factors, they would have been almost entirely powerless to stop the annexation. You think Macron really wants to start a nuclear war, despite being the most hawkish leader, leading a country with a doctrine of first use?
If that's the case, I don't wish to argue otherwise. Your values are genuinely your own, and I have even less reason to argue against them if you have a decent understanding of philosophy or cognitive neuroscience (which I hope/expect you do).
I value myself (or at least this body) for many reasons. But if I was given some kind of Star Trek teleporter machine alongside proof that it works as designed (by destructive scanning and then reconstruction with near perfect fidelity), I'd be fine with using it. If the entity that comes out the other side shares my memories, beliefs, goals and desires, I'll happily call it self_made_human. I'll share my bank account and be okay with the new "me" sleeping with my wife and raising my kids.
On the other hand, I'd prefer it if there were two of us. If the destruction isn't strictly necessary and just a bureaucratic convenience, then I would sue for murder or at least manslaughter. I think there should be more copies of me around, for redundancy if nothing else. And I see no real reason we wouldn't be able to sync up and share our memories and experiences in a world where mind uploading is a reality.
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