I just derailed this thread, without contributing and iota of knowledge to the original post...! What else...!
Asexuality
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The whole point of this thread was to throw light on asexuality (though a lot of people are intent on turning it into some sort of a joke). Yes, sex has always been a tool to propagate life (or just to seek pleasure).The fact that sex is pleasurable stems from the fact that there is an evolutionary gain in having sex. Our biology is hardwired to derive pleasure from sex. But I can also envision a drug/some sort of a simulation that modulates the pleasure centers in our brains to give us the same kind of pleasure we get from sexual activity, without actually having sex.
Yes, we would have been extinct had we not engaged in sexual activity. But with advances in science, it is possible to take the evolutionary process into our own hands, to increase human capabilities through genetic engineering and so forth.
The advantages of asexuality would be a lot of free space in our heads, a lack of pointless heart-breaks, increased objectivity etc. In fact, I can see many ways in which humans being asexual would benefit the world.
Yes, we would have been extinct had we not engaged in sexual activity. But with advances in science, it is possible to take the evolutionary process into our own hands, to increase human capabilities through genetic engineering and so forth.
The advantages of asexuality would be a lot of free space in our heads, a lack of pointless heart-breaks, increased objectivity etc. In fact, I can see many ways in which humans being asexual would benefit the world.
sriharsha_m
Herald
My post was with reference to the thread topicI just derailed this thread, without contributing and iota of knowledge to the original post...! What else...!
I saw your post after posting mine, was going through the long emoticons list during that gap :bleh:
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I'm not a science student, but to my knowledge, aren't there certain ecstasy stuff which simulate the same effects in brain, the kind of hormones that body generates naturally
^^ Yes, there are drugs that give you intense pleasure but they don't stop you from being sexually attracted to other humans. In fact, some of them make your hornier.
Chemical castration reduces libido but it can have other undesirable effects like gynaecomastia ( breast growth in men) etc. Now that's some shit you don't want to mess with.
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This is a pretty funny but thoughtful video on YouTube that I found that sums up the way people react to the concept of asexuality.
Also, this is another interesting video (featuring the philosopher Dan Dennett) on why we find certain stimuli/activities pleasurable and I think, in a sense, it pertains to this topic.
Chemical castration reduces libido but it can have other undesirable effects like gynaecomastia ( breast growth in men) etc. Now that's some shit you don't want to mess with.
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This is a pretty funny but thoughtful video on YouTube that I found that sums up the way people react to the concept of asexuality.
Also, this is another interesting video (featuring the philosopher Dan Dennett) on why we find certain stimuli/activities pleasurable and I think, in a sense, it pertains to this topic.
alekhkhanna
Innovator
Sex is the first contact point for love. You could replicate sex with drugs, but how can you replicate the thrill of infatuation, the butterfly-in-your-stomach feeling when you first try to talk to her, your first kiss, touching her, feeling her against your skin etc. You get the drift.
I think orgasm isn't the culmination of all events. It is the journey you partake to attract the opposite kind that is possibly what you enjoy most (or at least I do). Sex is one of the final objectives, though not the only one.
The day you take out the female quotient from the equation, a profound motivational factor is lost. The productivity will infact decrease.
Yes, I agree with the spirit of what you're saying. The 'female quotient for motivation' is something that beings more primitive than us need. We don't really need the opposite sex to be productive at this stage of evolution. Yes, sexual attraction is a motivator but we have brains big enough now to realise that we don't really need this to be our prime motivator. The survival and well-being of our species is enough a reason to work hard.
Also the thrill of infatuation etc. although are definitely wonderful feelings, such feelings of well being and goodness in fact can be replicated through drugs/neurological modulation. Ask yourself what happens electrochemically in your brain that makes your first kiss, the touch of her skin against yours etc. so good
The thrill of looking up at the stars and realising our insignificance is just as profound and wonderful as the feeling of being in love.
You can always come up with all sorts of subjective feelings that feel good. What I'm saying is I'd rather omit the feelings of infatuation etc. and replace them with several other things that make our chest ache (in a positive way). It's about judging pros and cons and choosing the optimal solution that enhances human well-being.
alekhkhanna
Innovator
Yes, we surely can (and will) manage to find drugs/sensitizers to stimulate practically anything, but will we be 100% successful ? I doubt it. As it is in the current state, there are so many things we don't understand about the human body, let alone the workings of the brain and the psychology of an individual. We attribute feelings and emotions to neurons and neurotransmitters and hormones (and we claim to know it all), but we are still a long way to find a potent cure for Parkinsonism or Alzhiemers or Depression or Schizhophrenia or Anxiety or ADHD. Yes, we know what works, but it doesn't work in all the patients. Heck, most of the drugs acting on the brain actually work as expected on hardly 30-35% of the population.
Ask any doctor who goes into the OT on how sure he/she can be of the outcome. Even for simple surgeries, none of them will be able to guarantee a 100% success. And this is after what we have known about the human body for decades, and the doctors having been doing the same surgery for years altogether. The reason is simple. We still don't understand the human body holistically. We tend to look at it in parts, and the jigsaw is barely at completion.
The problem lies with saying that we know it all. We don't. We still have to identify tons of other NTs/compounds which make what we are. We've barely scratched the surface and we still have a long, long way to go before an artificial stimulus can be perceived as a real one.
Every year the pharma companies bring out "novel" drugs, claiming the latest and greatest in safety and efficacy and innovation. How many of them are truly successful ? Have a look at how many of them have been banned by the FDA due to severe adverse effects after 8-10 years of successful run.
Nowadays, it's a rat race. Diseases are made, popularized, a market is created and then a drug is introduced to capture the monetary gains. Sad truth.
P.S: Sorry for a little OT rant.
#alekhkhanna
Yes, there are somethings that will take a lot of research. There might also be things that are practically impossible. As for asking a surgeon, my dad has been a urologist for years now and I've seen over 20 surgeries (or maybe quite a bit more) myself. So, I know quite a bit about what you're saying.
We do not understand the human body completely, we do not understand the the basis of many diseases. We do not fully understand how genes and the environment interact to produce behaviour/illnesses etc. But, I don't get what the current practical viability of these ideas has to do with the ideas themselves.
Trust me, I've used several of them myself and I know their merits and de-merits. I've read a lot of literature on brain modulating drugs and I've talked to several doctors about them. But this does not stop our search (as you very well know) for better drugs/medical tools.
Yes, there are somethings that will take a lot of research. There might also be things that are practically impossible. As for asking a surgeon, my dad has been a urologist for years now and I've seen over 20 surgeries (or maybe quite a bit more) myself. So, I know quite a bit about what you're saying.
We do not understand the human body completely, we do not understand the the basis of many diseases. We do not fully understand how genes and the environment interact to produce behaviour/illnesses etc. But, I don't get what the current practical viability of these ideas has to do with the ideas themselves.
Trust me, I've used several of them myself and I know their merits and de-merits. I've read a lot of literature on brain modulating drugs and I've talked to several doctors about them. But this does not stop our search (as you very well know) for better drugs/medical tools.
alekhkhanna
Innovator
And that's the reason I apologized for the OT rant.
No, it doesn't. But, in all practicality, the cost for this search, or rather research, is huge. Not just monetarily, but with regards to risking human lives. When the clinical trials and the regulatories themselves are skewed to a favor, no research can be good research.
Again, sorry for the OT. I'm veering more into the scientific part (and what happens practically),forgetting the main aspect of this thread.
Edit: It's "@" symbol, not the "#" for tagging a member.
A scientific discussion on this topic is what I was also looking for, instead of making fun of Oink or the idea. Please keep on posting both of you...
@Oink: I assume you already took some SSRIs and that didn't help, right?
Common yaar...It doesn't necessarily have to be for intellectuals who doesn't want to waste time going after girls. A lot of other people would find it immensely helpful as well-like mentally challenged, bed ridden, disabled, people who are away from their wives for long periods of time, widowers, people who doesn't want to get married...
I remember reading a comment by someone who jokingly said that in his country, the government pays for upto 12 visits to sexual workers for the patients in a mental hospital, and that he doesn't get that many chances despite being normal! I don't think such things are even considered in our country. I have a neighbour who has a bent in her back. She is around 35 years I think, never married. I also had a relative who was mentally disturbed, and never went out of the house or talked to anyone. I wonder how they handled these and other 'human' urges.
Nice accusation. But after all, that which can be asserted without evidence can be just as easily dismissed.
alekhkhanna
Innovator
TheIndian
Forerunner
No they do not. They are free to post as they wish.
Ill chosen words of a mod can shut down a thread far faster then an actual shut down. As a mod on many forums you should know this well by now.
No one foisted moderatorship on them, responsibility comes with the territory, especially in something unusual and new.
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Bigot and possibly neo elitist
Probably where you were a MOD or the forums you participated, this was the practice. I have not seen it, honestly. MODs can type in freely and speak their mind. It is two distinct entities. Them MODing [and MOD related comments]; and posting as members on the same member. I find it pointless to merge the line. Where this happens, usually the MODs walk around with their heads in the sky and expect all members to bow-down to them and/or obey them. Quite detrimental. MODs are just servicemen to the fora population, nothing more. And hem having to choke their free speech is not fair to them also.
I've gone from being compared to a troll,techboi/akshayt to being called a neo elitist. I guess I'll take that as somewhat of a compliment (even though it really isn't).
All I can do is present my opinions (even if they seem elitist, arrogant, biased,bigoted or whatever) and some people will dislike me for them. I can't please everyone.
All I can do is present my opinions (even if they seem elitist, arrogant, biased,bigoted or whatever) and some people will dislike me for them. I can't please everyone.
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