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From: ladkin@kestrel.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.sci
Subject: Re: Science and Freud
Message-ID: <8348@kestrel.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 22-May-86 15:29:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: kestrel.8348
Posted: Thu May 22 15:29:00 1986
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(Ellis)
> >Seriously, as one who, in the past, has held Freud's "distasteful" theories
> >in low regard, I urge Matthew to reconsider his opinions about one of
> >the most creative thinkers in history. 

(Tedrick)
> Having personally had to deal with many unthinking dupes of
> psychological brainwashing (there are LOTS of them in California),
> I believe psychology is in some respects no more
> valid than witchcraft

Psychology is the study of human behaviour in general.
I'm glad you hedged your statement. Just because you
dislike some aspects of pop culture, you blast the field
in general?

Michael is entirely right about Freud. Whether or not we
currently like or dislike consequences of his work is only
partly to be attributed to the originator.

> Pop psychology in the form of mass cultism (EST for example) has
> misled millions of naive people, and is highly dangerous to society
> as well as to the individual.

I tend to dislike ESTish interactions, and avoid them. I have
some friends who are the opposite. *Highly dangerous* is an
extreme attribution, and one I cannot agree with. 
There are common behaviour patterns that I dislike far 
more than ESTishness. ESTishness in friends never hurt me. 
Other behaviour has caused me grief for months
(usually, you guessed it, with regard to lovers).
Why do you feel so strongly? Do you have an argument
for this view, or is this another throwaway opinion?

Peter Ladkin
ladkin@kestrel.arpa