More on the word depression
Posted on 14/01/2010 | 0 Comments
Today I saw an article about the movie Avatar. This article tells all who read it that this movie is causing people to become depressed and suicidal. What a bunch of journalistic hokum. (http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/feature/avatar-perfection-causing-depression/story-e6frfnv0-1225819063598).
What this likely illustrates is what a topic of a previous blog has been: the inappropriate use of the word “depression”. People do not become clinically depressed after watching a movie; they may however experience a variety of negative feelings (or sometimes positive feelings). We do not call the feeling state that a movie such as Chariots of Fire engenders “mania”. No, on the contrary. We call it; uplifting, joyous, awesome, elevating, etc. Why do we call negative feelings “depression”?
There are so many other words to use. Our language is so rich in words that describe affect. So let’s use some of them: dispirited; demoralized; dysphoric; distressed; disgruntled; disaffected; pathic; etc. And while we are at it, lets give reporters who may not know how or can not be bothered to write clearly. (or who are using emotive words to sell copy), a clear message that these headlines are of no value in furthering our understanding of the human spirit. Can a movie stir our emotions? Totally! Does it cause mental disorder? No!
--Stan
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This is a great set of comments and rings very true.
I totally agree that scientists (just like everyone else) have their biases and foibles. After all, scientists are human beings too! But science is different than scientists.
The scientific method is the most objective frame that we have by which to evaluate and predict. Science is not about finding truth. It is only about being less wrong most of the time. The scientific method (experimental design and mathematics) gives us the ability to test what we believe. The scientific method is not used to prove something is correct, on the contrary, the scientific method is designed to prove that something is not correct! It is designed to test what is called the “null hypothesis”. It takes ideas that come out of left field (or wherever else they come from) and puts those ideas to an independent test.
t does not drive our beliefs. It does however challenge our beliefs. In that way it is self-correcting. Of course scientific inquiry and understanding lives within a wider social context. That is one of the great features of science.
But gravity is gravity, social context notwithstanding. And thus it is nasty, brutish and long. As Brecht said, (something like this) - the purpose of science is to save us from everlasting error.
By Christina Carew on May 11th
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