Posted by Hal (206.15.142.228) on January 17, 2000 at 18:19:11:
In Reply to: Pain as mechanism for euphoria-seeking brain posted by Q on January 17, 2000 at 02:01:39:
It's just a statement totally empty of content. A theory has to have both explanatory power and be supported by an argument that has the possibility of being refuted. Simply saying that cluster pain is "a mechanism for the euphoria-seeking part of the brain" does not explain anything. In fact, I can't see that this phrase even means anything, unless it's supposed to be understood a a paraphrase of the old joke: Q. Why did the little moron beat himself in the head with a hammer? A. Because it felt so good when he stopped.
Given that there is no argument presented in favor of this statement, there is no way to construct an argument against it and, hence, no possibility of refutation. Therefore, it's not a theory.