Bozur
Amicus
Posts: 5,515
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Post by Bozur on Aug 24, 2009 10:55:41 GMT -5
Is the Human Brain a "Belief Engine"? A Galaxy Classic
dailygalaxy.com — Lewis Wolpert believes that mankind's "incorrigible and wholly irrational" religiosity is as human, and as explicable, as the flint axe and the computer. It is a tool for the soul. Religion and belief in a supernatural being is a natural... More…
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August 21, 2009
Is the Human Brain a "Belief Engine"?
Lewis Wolpert believes that mankind's "incorrigible and wholly irrational" religiosity is as human, and as explicable, as the flint axe and the computer. It is a tool for the soul.
Religion and belief in a supernatural being is a natural consequence of how we are wired as human beings: our brains evolved to become "belief engines." And for that reason, we should not accept that our beliefs, particularly our religious beliefs, are correct.
Along with Richard Dawkins, the provocative Wolpert is one of Britain's best known atheists explainers of science. An eminent developmental biologist at University College London, he believes it is "ethically unacceptable and impractical to censor any aspect of trying to understand the nature of our world."
Wolpert penned a book-length meditation on "the evolutionary origins of belief," published as Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Having pondered the subject, Wolpert sees no reason to modify his reductionist, materialist, atheist view of the universe. Deconstructing the belief engine will usefully explain how humans are different from other animals. "I believe that religious beliefs are at least partly genetically determined. How else can you explain the fact that there's no society ever discovered that didn't have some sort of religious belief?"
"What makes us human," Wolpert explains, "is causal beliefs. What makes us different from other animals is that we have a concept of cause and effect in the physical world."
Wolpert believes that what made us human is technology: "It can be summed up in Kenneth Oakley's definition, 50 years ago, that 'man may be distinguished as the tool-making primate'." Once our ancient human ancestors figured out how to manipulate the natural world. Toolmaking made us human. Early hominids understood cause and effect and came to believe in unseen gods and spirits as causes for life's great mysteries, including illness and death.
But how does that get us to God? In an interview last year Wolpert said "It was the mental concept of cause and effect which was critical. Once you had that concept which enabled you to manufacture complex tools, you then wanted to understand other things as well - why we got ill, what happened when we died, why the sun shone or disappeared. Those, too, must have causes. And that's the origin of belief."
Posted by Casey Kazan. www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/08/is-the-human-brain-a-belief-engone-a-galaxy-classic.html
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Post by epiroti on Aug 24, 2009 15:20:08 GMT -5
Forming beliefs is a tool, a weapon, to deal with the complex reality around us. Seen from one angle, speaking from the evolutionary perspective of course, we cannot afford to evaluate all the aspects of a situation "on the spot". We MUST look at the mind as a machine that evolved over millions of years, with fast and simplistic mechanisms at the core of it, which later on it created new layers and functions. There were times when survival was the key issue, and speed of decision-making made the difference. So we generalised, created an intuitive network of "knowledge" about ... everything we could. Emotions/feelings were the essence of this mechanism, at some point. If the intuitive entwork of knowledge deduced that something was dangerous for us, it let us know with a dose of fear. Otherwise, with a dose of pleasure, or desire to go-get-some. (I don't believe in us being made by god, or an intelligent design. I believe science, neuro-psychology, biology, logical conclusions... but of course I was lucky enough to not have been fed with religious dogma as a kid, so I don't have such bad habits to UNDO when accepting these theories). The sooner people admit that at the core of the mind stands a very primitive mechanism which still affects our behaviour, the sooner we can correct it, by playing on our strengths and limiting the effects of its weaknesses. But we like to believe we're all about logic. On the other hand, we are a species that evolved in groups, where social status (read perception of the grup about us) determied A LOT. And we have many needs: the mind is wired to enourage us towards certain paths of action and away from others: we must do things that are understood as useful in our survival, useful in our wellbeing, useful in sexual selections... in the modern humans' brain these translate into a complex reality-model. Every action is very quickly weighted agaisnt these simple and primitive criteria, of course unconsciously.
Now, these scientists should be more concerned with the delivery of their theories and deductions. If they want to help, they MUST deliver the knowledge in such a way that people don't get defensive. And that wouldn't be manipulation, but merely showing respect for the weaknesses of the mind.
If we are speaking specifically about the religious beliefs, we are talking about a very crucial and very important class of beliefs. They are like values: they are part of understanding the world around us (for those who hold such beliefs, of course). They are beliefs that have been used since childhood, hence enforced tremendously (the neural highways are strong, and overpower new beliefs with ease). And they are like the foundations of a house. There have been millions of other beliefs, and billions of decisions, that resulted from these values, from this perception of reality. Then comes along a scientist and tells these people 'it is all b.s.'. The poor person feels really threated because that translates into the person having lived a lie. It's not easy to get read of a set of beliefs which have so far helped you made sense of the most important things in life (your worth and significance, dealing with the concept of death and afterlife, the comfort that religion offers in so many aspects...). On top of it, if he accepted this new evidence he would feel like he doesn't know how to deal with so many things in life (all this unconsciously) because the system he used has been partly proved wrong, if he were to accept these atheist theories. So he doesn't see these new facts as an improvement of his model and perception of reality, but as a huge threat to his ability to deal with things, to his ego, to his well-being...
Sorry for not writing things in a more orderly manner, hopefully I put my point across.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Aug 26, 2009 19:34:52 GMT -5
Anyone who can not admit that atheism is a philosophically depressing thought system at its very core deserves a massive fail. Even if there is no God it’s better to believe in one.
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Post by srbobran on Aug 26, 2009 22:29:53 GMT -5
So you don't actually believe in God you just say you do because its "better"? Do you not actually believe Serbs are Slavs but stick with it because its "better" as well?
That's a bizarre and unhealthy mentality to have.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Aug 27, 2009 0:13:18 GMT -5
No, your interpretation is mixed up. I do believe. I don't just say I do. And also Serbs are slavs, slavs being an ethno linguistic group, not a particularly racial definition like you go along with. I actually know what it means.
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Post by epiroti on Aug 27, 2009 7:50:11 GMT -5
Even if there is no God it’s better to believe in one. If comfort is what you are after, than of course it is better. And by all means keep believing. Who am I to tell someone to dive into a philosophical and emotional battle. However, logic and its product - science - is not on your side. There is only one argument that you should stick to: I will believe only what makes me happy, and disregard everything else. And I will be sincere, there is a lot I respect in that. Matter of fact, that mentality is used a lot in existentialism and atheism - intertwined with other arguments of course. But I'll help you out a little, and I encourage you to take that argument a little further with the intention to feel even more significant and powerful. Why just believe in a god that looks after you and not believe that you are actually a god yourself. Because you are aware of your limitations? Well, you can get around that by believing, let's say... that you are here as a mortal simply for the experience, and when you die you'll be back to your true self - a god, with no other god judging you, and no devil possibly punishing you... for eternity. Go on now, you religious people certainly don't consider the bible or quran to be proof - it was writen by one person, and it leaves no space for criticism... apply that criteria to this theory, and you're good to go! Damn it, sorry, I couldn't help it.
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Post by luarasi on Aug 27, 2009 18:33:48 GMT -5
Brain is a belief system indeed. Greeks belief they have the best religion, Serbs belief they are smartest in the world and belief that making genocides is their priority, FYROMIANS believe they are not Bullgarian, but ancient Macedonians even though when they came to balkans the ancients were long gone. Looking through all this one might confirm the theory as true..... and I believe that Greeks make the best dooner kebab. ;D
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Kanaris
Amicus
This just in>>>> Nobody gives a crap!
Posts: 9,587
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Post by Kanaris on Aug 27, 2009 21:18:24 GMT -5
The Greeks are the best in the Balkans...but thats because of the all the rif raf surrounding us..... the bar is set too low.... looks like we are going to be the best for a loooong time still.
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King and Greek.
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Post by luarasi on Aug 28, 2009 3:56:55 GMT -5
The Greeks are the best in the Balkans...but thats because of the all the rif raf surrounding us..... the bar is set too low.... looks like we are going to be the best for a loooong time still. I realy wish I could be with you on this one, It would've been nice to have some one to look up to, but I guess you are here just to conform the brain belief theory.
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