Actually scientific "materialism"--the idea that natural forces are
responsible for the events in and the shaping of the world--began with the
Englightenment which started in the 18th century.
>Freud, Marx and
>Darwin replaced traditional religions.
Millions of Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists,
Bahai's, Wiccans and Reformed Druids would be very shocked to be informed
of this.
>Materialism brought great advances
>in technology and our standard of living skyrocketed. However, materialism
>also had its dark sides, and one of them was psychiatry.
>
>Some of the worst nightmares of this century were perpetrated by
>psychiatrists. Hitler didn't design and authorize the death chambers; they
>were urged upon him by psychiatrists in mental hospitals.
so what?
>These scientists
>wanted to relieve mental patients and the retarded of the burden of their
>"hopeless" lives. Radovan Karadzic of Bosnian "ethnic cleansing" is the only
>psychiatrist known to ever head a government.
so what?
>Twentieth century psychiatry
>is what happens when people are regarded as complex machines powered by a
>complex computer-like mechanism called a brain. "Doctors of the mind" begin
>to think of themselves as super-mechanics.
this has almost nothing whatsoever to do with modern psychiatry. Your
acquaintance with psychiatry is 30 years out of date. Even then, however,
psychiatry was focused on healing. You frequently mention Freud on your web
page and in other posts and talk about how he was often in error. Error is
the only way new things are learned. Freud invented an entirely new
science. That he got a lot wrong is neither hear nor there. Science, unlike
religion, is always looking for new information and is self-correcting.
> (A pole has shown ninety seven percent of psychiatrists are Atheists.)
So what? and please post your reference for this. My wonderful shrink and
mentor of five years was a Buddhist (probably why he and I got along so
well). His assistant was a Baptist (I got along great with her too,
though).
Freud once said that he aim was to use analysis to turn abject misery into
ordinary unhappiness. Modern counselors would probably settle for that, but
most have higher aspirations.
Susan
----------
For if there is a sin against life, it consists not so much in despairing
of life as in hoping for another and in eluding the implacable grandeur of
this one.
--Albert Camus
http://www.telepath.com/susanb/