The idea that a scientist in the future will be able to not only perfectly explain every feeling and personality trait you possess via brain chemicals. but also use them to predict what you’re likely to identify as, Likely to enjoy, and what conditions your likely to develop is both interesting and kinda scary.
Someone could use such discovery to manipulate personality and identity of a person through biochemistry, and that is perhaps, a dangerous consequence unless regulation steps in.
This is a very silly mentality because the people who have this fear don't realize that current studies into what makes people gay or trans reveals like a bajillion different biological factors and interconnecting genetics that trying to narrow it down to "the gay gene" or "the trans gene" is impossible and isn't really possible to use said knowledge against us unless society wants to bring lobotomies back into the public and put themselves on the line.
The idea behind it being bad is that if you can “diagnose” someone with being gay or trans, you can also diagnose a trans or gay person with not being gay or trans. Which would means potentially being able to prevent them access to resources they should have.
This is only really a problem due to lax rules in various parts of the healthcare system and lack of legal protections for gay and trans people. Gay people don't need a diagnosis for being homosexual. As it stands, there are still places in the world that have "homosexuality is a disease" laws and diagnoses and those are seen as barbaric and criminal by most of the world. Sex hormones are extremely simple to acquire outside of the US as most places have them over the counter and have robust second-hand/grey markets for necessary medications as well. SRS and any other surgeries to take care of dysphoria would be gatekept on whether you have a trans/dysphoria diagnosis. If you iron those out before major health/scientific discoveries, the issue surrounding "what's the true cause" becomes irrelevant.
Ah yes, the ever distant yet looming ultimate consequence of science; the empirical proof of and fully realized idea that humans are indeed nothing but a bunch of numbers. It's a factual truth and inevitably will be calculated, but we all hate thinking about it. I wonder what life, or whatever we'll call it at that point, will look like then. I mean, if we have the means, there's no reason not to. After all, science is about understanding ourselves and the world, and that is the ultimate realization of that. We could just ban studying the brain, but, would that really be the best thing to do? Create a permanent dead zone in our understanding of things simply 'cause ya don't wanna face the truth of human existence?
And of course it's easy to view that takeaway and go "oh well you're just being a cringe nihilistic doomer." And that's true, for now, because as of now, the brain is just such a mystery and life is a journey and the indomitable human spirit and yadda yadda but eventually we're gonna have to face that cringe, nihilistic idea that we really ARE just chemical reactions, and that said reactions can be mapped and understood and predicted and replicated just like any other chemical reaction in a lab. Is this a good thing? A bad thing? I don't know. I'll be dead at that point so thank god for that. It's 4 am rn
Discovering your gender identity with the power of SCIENCE
The idea that a scientist in the future will be able to not only perfectly explain every feeling and personality trait you possess via brain chemicals. but also use them to predict what you’re likely to identify as, Likely to enjoy, and what conditions your likely to develop is both interesting and kinda scary.
Someone could use such discovery to manipulate personality and identity of a person through biochemistry, and that is perhaps, a dangerous consequence unless regulation steps in.
*the evil fucking mad scientist walks in*
I'm going to make every single human a cat boy/cat girl :3
Or someone could use it to willingly change their own personality and identity. I know I would.
There's a reason a lot of gay and trans people advocate for NOT trying to find what specific brain chemicals or processes make people that way.
because then homophobes and transphobes will weaponize that
This is a very silly mentality because the people who have this fear don't realize that current studies into what makes people gay or trans reveals like a bajillion different biological factors and interconnecting genetics that trying to narrow it down to "the gay gene" or "the trans gene" is impossible and isn't really possible to use said knowledge against us unless society wants to bring lobotomies back into the public and put themselves on the line.
The idea behind it being bad is that if you can “diagnose” someone with being gay or trans, you can also diagnose a trans or gay person with not being gay or trans. Which would means potentially being able to prevent them access to resources they should have.
This is only really a problem due to lax rules in various parts of the healthcare system and lack of legal protections for gay and trans people. Gay people don't need a diagnosis for being homosexual. As it stands, there are still places in the world that have "homosexuality is a disease" laws and diagnoses and those are seen as barbaric and criminal by most of the world. Sex hormones are extremely simple to acquire outside of the US as most places have them over the counter and have robust second-hand/grey markets for necessary medications as well. SRS and any other surgeries to take care of dysphoria would be gatekept on whether you have a trans/dysphoria diagnosis. If you iron those out before major health/scientific discoveries, the issue surrounding "what's the true cause" becomes irrelevant.
That or they’ll use ai to do it for them, probably getting at least some of it messed up
Ah yes, the ever distant yet looming ultimate consequence of science; the empirical proof of and fully realized idea that humans are indeed nothing but a bunch of numbers. It's a factual truth and inevitably will be calculated, but we all hate thinking about it. I wonder what life, or whatever we'll call it at that point, will look like then. I mean, if we have the means, there's no reason not to. After all, science is about understanding ourselves and the world, and that is the ultimate realization of that. We could just ban studying the brain, but, would that really be the best thing to do? Create a permanent dead zone in our understanding of things simply 'cause ya don't wanna face the truth of human existence?
And of course it's easy to view that takeaway and go "oh well you're just being a cringe nihilistic doomer." And that's true, for now, because as of now, the brain is just such a mystery and life is a journey and the indomitable human spirit and yadda yadda but eventually we're gonna have to face that cringe, nihilistic idea that we really ARE just chemical reactions, and that said reactions can be mapped and understood and predicted and replicated just like any other chemical reaction in a lab. Is this a good thing? A bad thing? I don't know. I'll be dead at that point so thank god for that. It's 4 am rn
Trust the process
I saw it last night too
Ngl it’s a great lecture
Can I have the link, please?
https://youtu.be/8QScpDGqwsQ?si=MglHz-siuUu8Qiaa
Thanks mate
Damn
New flair: "The transgender neurons"
The only way to determine gender. This will be used in the future to help everyone find themselves.
Not a bot btw, I just phrased that weirdly.