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Astral Codex Ten ·For the curious

Absurd Adventure and Amygdalectomy Advocacy

by Scott Alexander

Published 2026-09-02 05:51:22+00:00

What happens to your mind when a surgeon cuts out the physical source of fear?

0:00 / 28:32 · Narrator Charon

Context

In a 2 September 2026 piece for Astral Codex Ten, Daniel Böttger documents an accidental experiment in human biology. After surgeons removed part of his brain to treat cancer—specifically, his right amygdala—he woke up completely incapable of feeling fear or depression. The account poses a radical question for modern psychiatry. If removing a small piece of tissue permanently clears a lifelong mood disorder without destroying a person's character, why does the medical establishment still treat mental illness entirely as a chemical or psychological problem?

Show notes

A first-person account of surviving brain cancer and the psychological effects of losing a right amygdala during surgery. The author details how the procedure eliminated his fear response and chronic depression, leaving him unusually cheerful through months of severe medical complications. Drawing on his recovery and background in neuroscience, he argues for using targeted brain surgery to treat severe mental illness.

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