Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Heathen Dawn · 11-25-2002, 09:41 AM

On A Cup Of Coffee

Greetings, Ungl�ubiger (infidels) alle. I want to talk a bit about personality. Specifically, my personality. I don't know whether to call it schizophrenic or bipolar or any other such term, but anyway, my personality moves between two crests like a sine-wave: the high crest is a rational, moderately emotional, cheerful personality, one that accepts naturalism and does not fear the prospect of no life after death; one that has creative power to write, to research and rebut. The low crest is a hyper-emotional, depressed personality, one that retreats into supernatural beliefs for consolation, one that fears death intensely; one that has no creative power but instead whines and cries all the time.

I sometimes wonder at myself during my more sober periods: could that overly-emotional, pressured, depressed person be the same person as I am in the better period? However, what I wanted to talk about, and should be of more interest in this forum, is what sets apart my two personalities: not a soothing talk, not a comforting thought, but rather what I eat and drink. Often the hard times come before meals, and become easier when I take some food. But what works most wonders is a cup of coffee. Even smelling the coffee does a bit in lifting up my spirits; and drinking it ends my emotional (yes, emotional!) pain and brings me up into the high crest.

When I'm in low spirits, the feeling is both of bodily and of emotional pain: I feel as if my head is hungry, screaming, lacking terribly in something, and I feel I want to cry a river of tears, and my creative powers diminish and I spout nonsense as you often see on the boards; when the higher mood turns up - again, after taking up a certain liquid! - my head stops screaming, the feeling of head hunger is gone, and I regain power. In both cases there is the overwhelming feeling that bodily well-being is identical with mental well-being. And especially telling is the effect of coffee upon me: a cup of coffee, ten minutes and there comes a whole new personality. Amazing how a liquid can actually change the personality like that.

The Television Analogy - And Why It Breaks Down

Supporters of the non-materialist theory (better known as soul) say the brain is like a TV set: the personality emanates from outside, and damages to the brain change the transmission of actions and feelings just as damages to a TV set cause a change in the perception of the TV show. However, I will argue that the analogy breaks down because the changes are not analagous. A damage to the TV set may render a situation comedy colourless, or snowy, or having white lines running over it, or other such perception damages; what such damages cannot do, however, is turn the situation comedy into a science fiction movie. Brain changes, on the other hand, cause the entire personality to change. Here's where the TV set analogy fails.

Brain-personality identity is a fact, however much we may dislike the consequences. There will be reason to believe in a soul only when such phenomena as the influence of a liquid (coffee) on the soul are explained. As it happens, the theory of the influence of matter (coffee) upon matter (brain) is more plausible, making the Soul Theory a wee bit unnecessary. "There is no need for this theory" etc.

Thanks for the attention. This is me while I'm at my rational, creative moments.

Chip · 11-25-2002, 11:00 AM

<a href="http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=521" target="_blank">http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=521</a>

Regards, Chip

Scotty · 11-25-2002, 11:42 AM

Hmm, the sound of "Omega-3" sounds like a sci-fi show...

HD, maybe eat more often and see if that helps anything. Possibly a little thing might help. Just for weight reasons I eat every 4 hours, but I also get naturally hungry at that time (even before I started eating at that interval).

Then again, maybe an IV of coffie is for you

-Scott

Oxymoron · 11-25-2002, 11:48 AM

HD: Have you ever been tested for diabetes?

Sounds like you might have a blood sugar issue. I'm no doctor, though.

Chicken Girl · 11-25-2002, 12:05 PM

I agree. It sounds like you're hypersensitive to blood sugar/hormone/drug levels. You should ask your doctor about it.

Oh, and drink more coffee.

HelenM · 11-25-2002, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Heathen Dawn:
<strong>This is me while I'm at my rational, creative moments.</strong>

Thanks for sharing one of these moments with us, HD!

Helen

Toto · 11-25-2002, 12:34 PM

Do you realize that the entire Bible was written by people who had never drunk coffee? or tea or hot cocoa? No wonder they never noticed all those contradictions. They couldn't stay awake long enough!

The only drugs they had back then were alcohol and maybe some hallucinogens.

I think this explains a lot.

Dr Rick · 11-25-2002, 12:37 PM

Recent thread on <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=57&t=000644&p=" target="_blank">omega-3</a> supplements.

Rick

Heathen Dawn · 11-25-2002, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chicken Girl:
<strong>I agree. It sounds like you're hypersensitive to blood sugar/hormone/drug levels. You should ask your doctor about it.
</strong>

I have low blood pressure, that much I do know. Coffee and salt raise blood pressure, which in my case means raising it to the normal rate, so that's why they give me a good mood.

Actually, it's not just a good mood, it's that whole change in personality. I'm a completely different person after I eat certain foods or drink coffee. What amazes me is the capacity of such bare materials to change the personality. This obviously blows the theory of the soul out of the water - including the attractive 'TV Set Analogy' which supporters of the soul theory so often use.

A materialistic, monistic theory of body/mind enables investigation of the influences. If this is all a play between one material (coffee) and another material (brain), then things could be measured, observed, theorised, scientifically expounded. Dualistic soul theory, on the other hand, is a bit like Intelligent Design: it can only be believed, and no research papers could possibly be written on it.

Some more relevant articles:

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/philomind.html" target="_blank">Matter over Mind</a>

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/dod.html" target="_blank">Death of Dualism</a>

Chip · 11-25-2002, 07:57 PM

Actually that thread link only gives you a part of the whole. You can find the entire thread here on Omega-3 essential fatty acids at <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=44&t=001916" target="_blank">http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=44&t=001916</a>

It got kicked around to three different areas.

Regards, Chip

11-25-2002, 09:41 AM	#1
Heathen Dawn Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 4,656	On A Cup Of Coffee On A Cup Of Coffee Greetings, Ungl�ubiger (infidels) alle. I want to talk a bit about personality. Specifically, my personality. I don't know whether to call it schizophrenic or bipolar or any other such term, but anyway, my personality moves between two crests like a sine-wave: the high crest is a rational, moderately emotional, cheerful personality, one that accepts naturalism and does not fear the prospect of no life after death; one that has creative power to write, to research and rebut. The low crest is a hyper-emotional, depressed personality, one that retreats into supernatural beliefs for consolation, one that fears death intensely; one that has no creative power but instead whines and cries all the time. I sometimes wonder at myself during my more sober periods: could that overly-emotional, pressured, depressed person be the same person as I am in the better period? However, what I wanted to talk about, and should be of more interest in this forum, is what sets apart my two personalities: not a soothing talk, not a comforting thought, but rather what I eat and drink. Often the hard times come before meals, and become easier when I take some food. But what works most wonders is a cup of coffee. Even smelling the coffee does a bit in lifting up my spirits; and drinking it ends my emotional (yes, emotional!) pain and brings me up into the high crest. When I'm in low spirits, the feeling is both of bodily and of emotional pain: I feel as if my head is hungry, screaming, lacking terribly in something, and I feel I want to cry a river of tears, and my creative powers diminish and I spout nonsense as you often see on the boards; when the higher mood turns up - again, after taking up a certain liquid! - my head stops screaming, the feeling of head hunger is gone, and I regain power. In both cases there is the overwhelming feeling that bodily well-being is identical with mental well-being. And especially telling is the effect of coffee upon me: a cup of coffee, ten minutes and there comes a whole new personality. Amazing how a liquid can actually change the personality like that. The Television Analogy - And Why It Breaks Down Supporters of the non-materialist theory (better known as soul) say the brain is like a TV set: the personality emanates from outside, and damages to the brain change the transmission of actions and feelings just as damages to a TV set cause a change in the perception of the TV show. However, I will argue that the analogy breaks down because the changes are not analagous. A damage to the TV set may render a situation comedy colourless, or snowy, or having white lines running over it, or other such perception damages; what such damages cannot do, however, is turn the situation comedy into a science fiction movie. Brain changes, on the other hand, cause the entire personality to change. Here's where the TV set analogy fails. Brain-personality identity is a fact, however much we may dislike the consequences. There will be reason to believe in a soul only when such phenomena as the influence of a liquid (coffee) on the soul are explained. As it happens, the theory of the influence of matter (coffee) upon matter (brain) is more plausible, making the Soul Theory a wee bit unnecessary. "There is no need for this theory" etc. Thanks for the attention. This is me while I'm at my rational, creative moments.

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11-25-2002, 11:00 AM	#2
Chip Banned Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Earth Posts: 382	<a href="http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=521" target="_blank">http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=521</a> Regards, Chip

11-25-2002, 11:42 AM	#3
Scotty Senior Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: OutBound Posts: 804	Hmm, the sound of "Omega-3" sounds like a sci-fi show... HD, maybe eat more often and see if that helps anything. Possibly a little thing might help. Just for weight reasons I eat every 4 hours, but I also get naturally hungry at that time (even before I started eating at that interval). Then again, maybe an IV of coffie is for you -Scott

11-25-2002, 11:48 AM	#4
Oxymoron Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: http://10.0.0.2/ Posts: 6,623	HD: Have you ever been tested for diabetes? Sounds like you might have a blood sugar issue. I'm no doctor, though.

11-25-2002, 12:05 PM	#5
Chicken Girl Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: nowhere Posts: 6,549	I agree. It sounds like you're hypersensitive to blood sugar/hormone/drug levels. You should ask your doctor about it. Oh, and drink more coffee.

11-25-2002, 12:34 PM	#7
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	Do you realize that the entire Bible was written by people who had never drunk coffee? or tea or hot cocoa? No wonder they never noticed all those contradictions. They couldn't stay awake long enough! The only drugs they had back then were alcohol and maybe some hallucinogens. I think this explains a lot.

11-25-2002, 12:37 PM	#8
Dr Rick Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: USA Posts: 5,393	Recent thread on <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=57&t=000644&p=" target="_blank">omega-3</a> supplements. Rick

11-25-2002, 07:57 PM	#10
Chip Banned Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Earth Posts: 382	Actually that thread link only gives you a part of the whole. You can find the entire thread here on Omega-3 essential fatty acids at <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=44&t=001916" target="_blank">http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=44&t=001916</a> It got kicked around to three different areas. Regards, Chip

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