Explanations: Spurious and Valid
One of the central themes on this website is that psychiatric diagnoses are spurious and have no explanatory value. This contention is central to my entire argument, and for this reason I thought it might be useful to discuss the matter in some detail. Let’s start by examining what is meant by an explanation. Almost as soon as a child can talk, he begins to ask questions. He asks why does it rain; why does grass grow; why is the sun hot; why is iron hard; why does wood float on water; why do cats eat mice; and so on. What the child is doing is trying to find meaning and system in the world which he sees and feels and tastes and hears and smells. He is looking for explanations. So, for instance, if a child were to ask: “Why is iron hard?” a conscientious parent who had some scientific background might venture an explanation like this: “Because the molecules in the iron are bound together in a way which prevents them from moving around too much. By contrast, the molecules in soft substances, like water, are not bound as tightly, and so they move apart when you stick your finger in. The molecules in the iron won’t move apart easily – you would have to hit them with a hammer and chisel to get them apart.” ...