Nathan Lusher
@nathanlusher.bsky.social
Mildly opinionated sometimes. Wears glasses all the time. Psychotherapist. Religious Naturalist.
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
Autism was discovered and defined by the medical community in 1943. Tylenol was not released to the public until 1955.
September 23, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Autism was discovered and defined by the medical community in 1943. Tylenol was not released to the public until 1955.
“The team found that when one partner was diagnosed with one of the nine conditions, the other was significantly more likely to be diagnosed with the same or another psychiatric condition. Spouses were more likely to have the same conditions than to have different ones, …”
Spouses Tend to Share Psychiatric Disorders, Massive Study Finds
Spouses often share psychiatric diagnoses, according to an analysis of almost 15 million people in three countries
www.scientificamerican.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:51 PM
“The team found that when one partner was diagnosed with one of the nine conditions, the other was significantly more likely to be diagnosed with the same or another psychiatric condition. Spouses were more likely to have the same conditions than to have different ones, …”
“The Aztecs held, in short, that it’s unrealistic to think that anyone can lead a perfectly good life, one in which you never slip up. A better goal, then, is to try to lead a rooted life, which they called neltiliztli: literally, rootedness.”
Aztec moral philosophy didn’t expect anyone to be a saint | Aeon Essays
Aztec moral philosophy has profound differences from the Greek tradition, not least its acceptance that nobody is perfect
aeon.co
August 20, 2025 at 4:05 AM
“The Aztecs held, in short, that it’s unrealistic to think that anyone can lead a perfectly good life, one in which you never slip up. A better goal, then, is to try to lead a rooted life, which they called neltiliztli: literally, rootedness.”
“It’s essentially an illusion that a machine that you’re talking to has a larger, human-like understanding of the world, ….. It’s having this sense that there’s a massive mind and intentionality behind a system that might not actually be there.”
builtin.com/artificial-i...
builtin.com/artificial-i...
What Is the Eliza Effect? | Built In
The Eliza Effect is the tendency to falsely attribute human thought processes and emotions to AI, and believe an AI is more intelligent than it actually is.
builtin.com
August 4, 2025 at 12:46 AM
“It’s essentially an illusion that a machine that you’re talking to has a larger, human-like understanding of the world, ….. It’s having this sense that there’s a massive mind and intentionality behind a system that might not actually be there.”
builtin.com/artificial-i...
builtin.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
"Just because a chatbot talks like a therapist doesn't mean it thinks like one. And just because something's cheap & always available doesn't mean it's safe.
Guest: "Therapy requires a human-to-human connection... people want other people to care for and about them."
www.forbes.com/sites/weskil...
Guest: "Therapy requires a human-to-human connection... people want other people to care for and about them."
www.forbes.com/sites/weskil...
Can We Build AI Therapy Chatbots That Help Without Harming People?
AI mental health chatbots promise affordable and immediate support—but can they be trusted? This Forbes report explores the risks, ethics, and future of therapy bots.
www.forbes.com
August 2, 2025 at 8:06 AM
"Just because a chatbot talks like a therapist doesn't mean it thinks like one. And just because something's cheap & always available doesn't mean it's safe.
Guest: "Therapy requires a human-to-human connection... people want other people to care for and about them."
www.forbes.com/sites/weskil...
Guest: "Therapy requires a human-to-human connection... people want other people to care for and about them."
www.forbes.com/sites/weskil...
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
This needs to be plastered across every high street everywhere
July 25, 2025 at 9:38 AM
This needs to be plastered across every high street everywhere
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
QAnon was a conspiracy that alleged child trafficking. Let's see what that movement does now with Trump and Epstein.
theconversation.com/how-the-qano...
theconversation.com/how-the-qano...
How the QAnon movement entered mainstream politics – and why the silence on Epstein files matters
The foundational belief of many of the QAnon followers is that Donald Trump is the heroic figure fighting the elite pedophile ring.
theconversation.com
July 25, 2025 at 3:15 AM
QAnon was a conspiracy that alleged child trafficking. Let's see what that movement does now with Trump and Epstein.
theconversation.com/how-the-qano...
theconversation.com/how-the-qano...
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
Phenomenal news story this and I love how the Mail seems quite supportive of it.
Violence plummets in men's prison after inmates were taught philosophy
Inmates at HMP Wayland, Norfolk, were taught how to live virtuous, peaceful lives based on resilience, rational thinking and self-discipline.
www.dailymail.co.uk
July 6, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Phenomenal news story this and I love how the Mail seems quite supportive of it.
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
People say you only have one life, but there are thousands of new lives created every day. "But they aren't my life!" But what are *you*, other than a life? You are *this* life here; they are *those* lives over there, and all of these lives are precious and meaningful.
June 21, 2025 at 12:59 PM
People say you only have one life, but there are thousands of new lives created every day. "But they aren't my life!" But what are *you*, other than a life? You are *this* life here; they are *those* lives over there, and all of these lives are precious and meaningful.
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
I have a new popular article out in The Conversation. It analyzes Mark Zuckerberg’s recent comments about using AI “friends” to combat lonliness through the lens of Aristotle’s account of friendship and virtue. Hope you enjoy it! theconversation.com/aristotle-wo...
Aristotle would scoff at Mark Zuckerberg’s suggestion that AI can solve the loneliness epidemic
It might seem odd to look to someone who lived over 2,000 years ago for answers about AI. But Aristotle has enduring insights about friendships – and which ones are particularly valuable.
theconversation.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I have a new popular article out in The Conversation. It analyzes Mark Zuckerberg’s recent comments about using AI “friends” to combat lonliness through the lens of Aristotle’s account of friendship and virtue. Hope you enjoy it! theconversation.com/aristotle-wo...
Although AI may have the ability to perform therapeutic intervention there are huge questions about privacy. An AI is not a therapist who has strict requirements around privacy and the intertwining of Big Tech and government should also give you pause.
www.theverge.com/policy/66568...
www.theverge.com/policy/66568...
AI therapy is a surveillance machine in a police state
Big Tech wants you to share your private thoughts with chatbots — while backing a government with contempt for privacy.
www.theverge.com
May 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Although AI may have the ability to perform therapeutic intervention there are huge questions about privacy. An AI is not a therapist who has strict requirements around privacy and the intertwining of Big Tech and government should also give you pause.
www.theverge.com/policy/66568...
www.theverge.com/policy/66568...
“The improvements in symptoms we observed were comparable to what is reported for traditional outpatient therapy, suggesting this AI-assisted approach may offer clinically meaningful benefits,”
home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/03...
home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/03...
First Therapy Chatbot Trial Yields Mental Health Benefits | Dartmouth
home.dartmouth.edu
April 1, 2025 at 6:50 PM
“The improvements in symptoms we observed were comparable to what is reported for traditional outpatient therapy, suggesting this AI-assisted approach may offer clinically meaningful benefits,”
home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/03...
home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/03...
“When people’s lives are sufficiently connected, they feel more existentially grounded. They feel that their lives really matter.” Great article and practical tips for cultivating meaning in your life.
Existential psychology offers specific ways to find meaning, giving you a buffer against despair in these anxious times https://buff.ly/3QmjCOz
March 27, 2025 at 4:29 AM
“When people’s lives are sufficiently connected, they feel more existentially grounded. They feel that their lives really matter.” Great article and practical tips for cultivating meaning in your life.
I recently started embracing the term religious naturalist instead of atheist. I’m still not sure if I’m comfortable using the “G” word, but naturalistic theisms or process-relational approaches that ditch omnipotence seem far more likely than the classical theism most believers put forward.
I appreciate Progressive Christianity posting a recent essay on reasons to believe a loving but not omnipotent God exists... progressivechristianity.org/resource/wha...
What KIND of God Exists?
In my last blog post (“Reasons to Think God Exists”), I noted atypical reasons to believe God might exist. Those reasons come after a yet-to-be-published discussion of traditional reasons people think...
progressivechristianity.org
March 26, 2025 at 2:36 AM
I recently started embracing the term religious naturalist instead of atheist. I’m still not sure if I’m comfortable using the “G” word, but naturalistic theisms or process-relational approaches that ditch omnipotence seem far more likely than the classical theism most believers put forward.
Really interesting essay. Flanagan argues that although globalized and intense forms of shame can be damaging, the specific kind of shame one experiences due to addiction is an important motivating factor that promotes healing and to tell the person otherwise can be seen as a kind of gaslighting
March 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Really interesting essay. Flanagan argues that although globalized and intense forms of shame can be damaging, the specific kind of shame one experiences due to addiction is an important motivating factor that promotes healing and to tell the person otherwise can be seen as a kind of gaslighting
This is wild. Limit access to education to get more babies …
Heritage: "reducing federal higher education subsidies and loan cancellation that place the federal thumb on the scale in favor of spending years in postsecondary work of questionable value will help young Americans to start and expand their families." www.heritage.org/education/re...
Education Policy Reforms Are Key Strategies for Increasing the Married Birth Rate
The fertility rate in the United States has dropped to 1.6,
www.heritage.org
March 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This is wild. Limit access to education to get more babies …
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
Suppose the air conditioning in your car stopped working, and you brought the car into the shop, and the mechanic said, “I am afraid your car is broken, so I have started dismantling it”.
That, in a nutshell, is what Trump and Musk are doing to your country.
That, in a nutshell, is what Trump and Musk are doing to your country.
February 9, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Suppose the air conditioning in your car stopped working, and you brought the car into the shop, and the mechanic said, “I am afraid your car is broken, so I have started dismantling it”.
That, in a nutshell, is what Trump and Musk are doing to your country.
That, in a nutshell, is what Trump and Musk are doing to your country.
Reposted by Nathan Lusher
The party that made up pizzagate is covering up Gaetz’ actual pedophilia.
www.nytimes.com/live/2024/11...
www.nytimes.com/live/2024/11...
Trump Transition Live Updates: News on Matt Gaetz and House Ethics Committee
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2024 at 10:31 PM
The party that made up pizzagate is covering up Gaetz’ actual pedophilia.
www.nytimes.com/live/2024/11...
www.nytimes.com/live/2024/11...
Trump working hard to #restocktheswamp
Reporter: Are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?
Trump: No.
Trump: No.
November 20, 2024 at 3:12 AM
Trump working hard to #restocktheswamp