Interesting Links for 29-07-2017

[andrewducker]

Kalashnikov develops autonomous weapons (tags: robots military weapons ) Interesting piece on suicide I've never craved suicide. And only once thought that not existing might be nice (and even then only in passing, and purely theoretically).
(tags: suicide viaSwampers ) High refined sugar intake linked to a 23% higher risk of mental disorders (

Comments

[asher63]

The Aeon piece is interesting. I had heard anecdotal accounts of "copycat suicides" but I never realized the effect was so strong or well-documented. Also had not considered the possibility that entire populations might have said, like Captain Lawrence Oates, "I am just going outside and may be some time."

One theory I'd heard regarding areas with higher suicide rates was that there's a link between altitude (hence, hypoxia and depression) and suicide. Others claim there's a link with colder climates. I don't know what the data says though.

[channelpenguin]

When I was young, I often used to crave "never to have existed" . At points thereafter, just "stopping" has had its appeal, when emotionally or physically worn out or when long cherished goals have been met - and actually being there changed nothing in how I felt overall. So, all that was ahead is yet another idea, more struggle, yet another round in the wringer. In the right mood that concept is stimulating. In the wrong one, it feels like way too much.

I would not be so quick to rule out that the social animals (apes, monkeys, dogs etc) could have similar emotions, if not the active ability to actually end their lives - save by inaction (not eating) or taking on prey/enemies that are too dangerous etc. But it needs a concept of "self" to think of ending that self. I am not up on which animals have that (I think recently, they reckon a few)