|
2.7 How Minds Began: Sciences of the MindVersion 1.3 August 2015                                             (Previous Version) These are the questions we ask in the introduction (Section 0.1.6 – paragraph 13): If there is nothing divine in us, how can we be conscious? What is consciousness? How can we be self-aware? Why are people sometimes so mean, so selfish, so stupid? Why are people sometimes so kind, generous, and clever? How can we be so rational sometimes and so emotional other times? Why do men and women think so differently? Why are we all a bit racist and all a bit sexist? How come humans like music and singing? How did the apes learn to speak? We may refine these as we develop this Chapter. This chapter covers the areas of science concerned with how our brains developed and how they work now, such as evolutionary psychology, psychology, sociology, neuroscience and cognitive science. We cover this in just enough detail so that we can work out what to believe and why, so that we can decide what to do, in our day to day life, and in the big decisions of life. Unfortunately that means there is a lot to cover. For now, we have indicated the questions and the main topics we intend to address. We MAY look at how we know what we know under the following INDICATIVE DRAFT topic headings. Here we review briefly the development of nervous systems and brains in animals, from primitive worms and insects, through fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, to primates and humans.  We need to address several key developments related to our current behaviour: a) the physical development of our senses, nervous system and brain structure and capacity; b) how our intellectual, emotional, moral and consciousness development was integrated; a. self-awareness and consciousness, b. the intellectual development, of our ability to understand; c. the emotional changes in our bodily responses and the feelings generated in our minds; d. the moral changes, as we became human and humans formed into large societies; and c) the development of our senses of mystery, awe, longing, connection, including a. Mystical experiences; and b. Near death experiences. The following mooted topics will be rationalised and structured as we develop the chapter contents.
This is the current summary of our conclusions in this area: Science is developing explanations of how humans evolved into emotional, thinking, conscious, tool making, singing, talking hunter gatherers, with moral and spiritual feelings, an innate calculus of right and wrong; how xenophobia, racism, sexuality and sexism evolved, and how we can control our ‘primitive’ nature.  more (later)                                                             Statement 13 The detailed sections explain how we justify these conclusions.
* * * * * * *
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
English (English)
Español (Spanish)
Français (French)
We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of Country, throughout all colonised lands, and their connections to land, waters and community. We pay respect by giving voice to truth, values and social justice, acknowledging our shared history, and valuing the cultures of first nations peoples.
Copyright © 2008 - 2026 Trevor J Rogers, care of the address shown on this page. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the copyright owner. Any approved reproduction is permitted only with full attribution of the source, referring to this site and this copyright notice. The moral right of the author is asserted.
Top