HN user
The big physical hormonal events — sex, food, muscle contractions, sleep, endocannabinoid ingestion.
That’s it. When I make happiness any more complicated than that, it instantly begins to elude me.
But when I take happiness down to those basic elements — I’m happy :)
Also, the terms "psychopath" and "sociopath" are deprecated. They are no longer in clinical use and I don't believe you can find them in the DSM (though you can find "Anti-Social Personality Disorder.")
The terms "psychopath" and "sociopath" are fundamentally meaningless. They have no more meaning than typical insults and profanities like "dickhead" or "douchebag."
I'm glad that these terms are deprecated for several reasons:
1. The term "psychopath" is a bigoted term. If you look up the Greek roots of this word (psyche + pathos) you find that it literally means a "suffering of the soul." To call a person with ASPD a "psychopath" is the equivalent of calling a mentally disabled person a "mongoloid." Its just needless name-calling and bigotry.
2. The popular conception of the "psychopath" presupposes that "psychopathy" is some kind of immutable condition, one that is inherent in the person to whom the term is being applied. Yet all studies point to the importance of both genetic and environmental factors in the development of what we call "psychopathy." Just as people can be victims of cancer, people can be victims of "psychopathy." Therefore it makes little sense to point the finger at the victim.
TL;DR "Psychopathy" is a bigoted and outdated term
What a conceptually interesting article. There are a few cool framing devices in here.
I like how is using English to describe how English is weird. That's like using a spray can to illegally graffiti the phrase "vandalism is dumb" on a building.
The author is "going meta" to English, while using English. Respect to that strange and thoughtful recursive writing technique
Gosh this comment is weird