Posted by alexandra_k on May 11, 2005, at 1:46:37
In reply to Re: and the key to my depression as well, posted by alexandra_k on May 10, 2005, at 18:51:33
And if a clinician insists that the expression of a delusional utterane is absurd...
And the subject is expressing their experience...
Then they will be talking past each other.
And if the clinician doesn't understand the distinction between making a claim about ones experiences and making a claim about the way things are in the world...
Then how can the subject be expected to get it either?
Jeepers.
No wonder delusional subjects utterances seem to be immune to evidence to the contrary. There is no such thing as evidence to the contrary with respect to either (a) the expression of their experience or (b) the second premiss (which basically accepts ones experience as veridical).But.
The APA DEFINES delusions as being 'radically false beliefs about external reality'.But if the subject is expressing their experience then the belief isn't radically false, and it isn't about external reality either.
So.
We have a decision to make:Maybe delusional utterances simply CANNOT be expressions of experience BY DEFINITION.
Or.
Maybe the APA definition of delusion is wrong.
IMO the explanandum isn't 'why do some people have delusions' rather it is 'what could lead someone to say such a thing'.
If we accept the APA definition as authoratitive then it becomes an empirical matter whether there is actually anything such as delusions. If all delusional subjects are attempting to express their experience then there wouldn't be any such thing.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:494272
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050503/msgs/496284.html