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  1. Longreads10/22/1937 min
    6 reads6 comments
    9.5
    Longreads
    6 reads
    9.5
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    • jbuchana3 years ago

      Another article, he third I've read in about a year that makes one doubt the meaning of self and free will.

      a lighter to burn away the frayed ends of the jeans he was wearing

      An interesting aside, fiend of mine did exactly this with similar results. surgery, skin grafts, etc. What makes anyone think this is a good idea...

      • bill
        Top reader of all time
        3 years ago

        And how about the fact that he lost a few fingers?! My god. There were so many grisly details, but it felt manageable (even enjoyable?) to read because the author was so thoughtful and so reasonable in the way that he told the story.

        • jbuchana3 years ago

          I cringed reading about the fingers. We have a customer at work who lost all the fingers, on one hand, his email address is fournubs@. He has quite a sense of humor about it. I've never asked how he lost the fingers, I sort of assume a saw, but there's a lot of other ways it could have happened.

          • bill
            Top reader of all time
            3 years ago

            Hey, I'm curious - do you remember the details of this story, 4 months later? It just won the 2020 Science in Society Journalism Award in the Longform Narratives category and so I starred it and then was surprised to see that I had already read it. Honestly, I remember nothing based on the title, but I'm thinking about giving it a re-read to see how much I remember.

            • jbuchana3 years ago

              I didn't until I read the first paragraph, then much of it came back.

    • bill
      Top reader of all time
      3 years ago

      I’m aghast. But also filled with hope and gratitude. The bits about criminal justice and neuroscience are as salient as the story itself is heartfelt, personal and moving. So much to think about, including the act of thinking itself.