The amazing thought process
I have previously written about factors which affect brain function which then determines how our body function. Scientists are now beginning to isolate the parts of the brain which affect and are affected by various factors. Scientists are now often discovering what we thought was true may contains only a small kernel of truth. For example, I was recently read it now appears that attention deficit disorder and learning disorder may be two unrelated conditions but conditions which never-the-less co-exist.
I find it fascinating that some of the research about how the brain functions is being done with fruit flies. It is very difficult for me to imagine that the fruit fly has a brain which can be examined much less tell us anything about the human brain. Yet, as Dr. David Anderson reveals in his Ted Talk of March 2013 “Your brain is more than a bag of chemicals” scientists are indeed using fruit flies to identify specific neurons and specific regions of the brain responsible for particular functions. These discoveries in turn lead to being able to identify differences in the brain of individual who have certain disorders.
For those interested google Dr. Anderson’s Ted Talk and other talks and papers he has delivered. There are also other individuals such as Allan Jones who are conducting some amazing brain research.
I was thinking about the thought process which allows such people as Dr. Jones, Dr. Anderson and many others to even consider the possibility that one might more learn more about the brain and that one can use fruit flies who have a very tiny brain to research this subject. Their thought process must include some amazing assumptions:
One could, I am sure think of many more assumptions which have to be made by scientists such as Dr. Anderson. I have long been fascinated by the brains of people who are able to think so far out of the thought process than most of us are able to do.
I recall as a very young child thinking about individuals such as Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and others who were exploring the possibility of what we now call the telephone. I tried to imagine how the voice sprouted little legs entered the mouthpiece of the old fashions telephone, jumped on the wire and then along with millions of other little voices with legs quickly ran across the wire until they jumped out of the transmitter of another phone and into the ears and then the brain of another person. I wondered why a person would even have such outrageous, cartoon character-like thoughts. I had similar questions about the little creatures who jumped out of a generator onto another wire and caused lights, machines and other inanimate objects to come to life.
I suppose it was this wonder and appreciations for the possibility of such magic which first allowed me to question the concept of free will and imagine we would one day be able to identify factors which caused humans to act in a certain way. I recall seeing a cousin who had what was then called shell shock and how that affected his ability to function. I also recall a sister of my high functioning grandmother and her other siblings. This sister was a long-time resident – lifelong? – of the state mental hospital. If memory serves me correctly she believed herself to be queen of Britain. I suspect that this was a common assumption (delusion) of strong, independent leaning, early feminist women who filled the wards of state mental hospitals. Be that as it may, it was clear to me that she did not make a conscious decision to be delusional. I also observed the vast difference in the thought and, thus, behavior of many other family members. My Aunt Please and Uncle Harold seem to take life in stride and to always find the positives in a situation, in each other and in other people. Other relatives seemed, on the other hand, to experience life much differently.
Even as a young person, it seemed obvious to me that some behavior such as racism was learned. It appeared to me that it was easy to copy behavior of peers. I can recall early examples of learning how to use racism or other beliefs of adults to get out of trouble. Even as a child it seemed that I could not do this without experiencing a significant amount of what I terms guilt. Thus it seemed to me that I was in some cases making choices and, yet, others were able to make different choices. For many years I believed that I was naturally more aware of my numerous sins and probably sinned more than the average person.
I noticed that each of us seemed to have our own experience of the world. Even in our family my experience of our life was much different than that of my siblings. It was if we lived in different families and, yet, that was not possible in the small three room house seven of us shared.
The problem was and is not, of course, that we experience the world differently. The problem is that we believe that the world we experience is “the world”. Secondarily the problem is that we often believe that the thought process is independent of differences which affect the neurons and other parts of the brain.
This is understandable. It seems to me that I often make decisions to act in a certain way. Already this morning I have decided to get out bed, make coffee, dress for the gym, workout, stop at the post office, make and eat breakfast, start laundry and do some writing. It would seem to me that I have been exercising my free will to make decisions and then direct my body to accomplish these tasks. What could be simpler? Yet, I am well aware that there are many who have been unable to make similar decisions and to take similar actions. It may seem as if they have the capacity to do so but another truth may be their brain does not currently have the capacity to do so. Although advice such as “Just do it.” might, in some cases. be helpful to the person whose brains work overtimes analyzing a possible decision rather than taking action, there are who minds will tell them that even simple actions will result in dangerous consequences or will not make a difference in their life. There are those whose brain stays in a fugue like state which prevents the willful exercise of what we call “free will”.
Thanks to individuals such as Dr. Anderson who have the ability and foresight to question assumptions or “truths” about how our brain functions we may be able in the future to more effectively treat many conditions. We may also be less willing to judge others who are not able to think and act as we do. We might even question the limits of what we call free will.
Written October 5, 2016
I have previously written about factors which affect brain function which then determines how our body function. Scientists are now beginning to isolate the parts of the brain which affect and are affected by various factors. Scientists are now often discovering what we thought was true may contains only a small kernel of truth. For example, I was recently read it now appears that attention deficit disorder and learning disorder may be two unrelated conditions but conditions which never-the-less co-exist.
I find it fascinating that some of the research about how the brain functions is being done with fruit flies. It is very difficult for me to imagine that the fruit fly has a brain which can be examined much less tell us anything about the human brain. Yet, as Dr. David Anderson reveals in his Ted Talk of March 2013 “Your brain is more than a bag of chemicals” scientists are indeed using fruit flies to identify specific neurons and specific regions of the brain responsible for particular functions. These discoveries in turn lead to being able to identify differences in the brain of individual who have certain disorders.
For those interested google Dr. Anderson’s Ted Talk and other talks and papers he has delivered. There are also other individuals such as Allan Jones who are conducting some amazing brain research.
I was thinking about the thought process which allows such people as Dr. Jones, Dr. Anderson and many others to even consider the possibility that one might more learn more about the brain and that one can use fruit flies who have a very tiny brain to research this subject. Their thought process must include some amazing assumptions:
- Brains of humans are not all the same.
- One can potentially identify very specific parts of the brain which malfunction and affect behavior possibilities.
- Behavior is directed by the brain and thus affected by the capability of the brain of the actor in a particular point in time.
- Chemical differences might not be the only differences in the brains of those who experience life through the prism of depression or other brain diseases.
- It is possible that fruit flies have complex brains.
- It is possible to study to very tiny brains including the neurons of the fruit fly.
- One can convince a funding source that it is worthwhile to study the brains of fruit flies.
One could, I am sure think of many more assumptions which have to be made by scientists such as Dr. Anderson. I have long been fascinated by the brains of people who are able to think so far out of the thought process than most of us are able to do.
I recall as a very young child thinking about individuals such as Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and others who were exploring the possibility of what we now call the telephone. I tried to imagine how the voice sprouted little legs entered the mouthpiece of the old fashions telephone, jumped on the wire and then along with millions of other little voices with legs quickly ran across the wire until they jumped out of the transmitter of another phone and into the ears and then the brain of another person. I wondered why a person would even have such outrageous, cartoon character-like thoughts. I had similar questions about the little creatures who jumped out of a generator onto another wire and caused lights, machines and other inanimate objects to come to life.
I suppose it was this wonder and appreciations for the possibility of such magic which first allowed me to question the concept of free will and imagine we would one day be able to identify factors which caused humans to act in a certain way. I recall seeing a cousin who had what was then called shell shock and how that affected his ability to function. I also recall a sister of my high functioning grandmother and her other siblings. This sister was a long-time resident – lifelong? – of the state mental hospital. If memory serves me correctly she believed herself to be queen of Britain. I suspect that this was a common assumption (delusion) of strong, independent leaning, early feminist women who filled the wards of state mental hospitals. Be that as it may, it was clear to me that she did not make a conscious decision to be delusional. I also observed the vast difference in the thought and, thus, behavior of many other family members. My Aunt Please and Uncle Harold seem to take life in stride and to always find the positives in a situation, in each other and in other people. Other relatives seemed, on the other hand, to experience life much differently.
Even as a young person, it seemed obvious to me that some behavior such as racism was learned. It appeared to me that it was easy to copy behavior of peers. I can recall early examples of learning how to use racism or other beliefs of adults to get out of trouble. Even as a child it seemed that I could not do this without experiencing a significant amount of what I terms guilt. Thus it seemed to me that I was in some cases making choices and, yet, others were able to make different choices. For many years I believed that I was naturally more aware of my numerous sins and probably sinned more than the average person.
I noticed that each of us seemed to have our own experience of the world. Even in our family my experience of our life was much different than that of my siblings. It was if we lived in different families and, yet, that was not possible in the small three room house seven of us shared.
The problem was and is not, of course, that we experience the world differently. The problem is that we believe that the world we experience is “the world”. Secondarily the problem is that we often believe that the thought process is independent of differences which affect the neurons and other parts of the brain.
This is understandable. It seems to me that I often make decisions to act in a certain way. Already this morning I have decided to get out bed, make coffee, dress for the gym, workout, stop at the post office, make and eat breakfast, start laundry and do some writing. It would seem to me that I have been exercising my free will to make decisions and then direct my body to accomplish these tasks. What could be simpler? Yet, I am well aware that there are many who have been unable to make similar decisions and to take similar actions. It may seem as if they have the capacity to do so but another truth may be their brain does not currently have the capacity to do so. Although advice such as “Just do it.” might, in some cases. be helpful to the person whose brains work overtimes analyzing a possible decision rather than taking action, there are who minds will tell them that even simple actions will result in dangerous consequences or will not make a difference in their life. There are those whose brain stays in a fugue like state which prevents the willful exercise of what we call “free will”.
Thanks to individuals such as Dr. Anderson who have the ability and foresight to question assumptions or “truths” about how our brain functions we may be able in the future to more effectively treat many conditions. We may also be less willing to judge others who are not able to think and act as we do. We might even question the limits of what we call free will.
Written October 5, 2016
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