I found this neat post describing why humans are "dualists". I've recently suspected that religion is genetic, given that about 86% of the world's population is religious, of one denomination or another. Religion appears that it is indeed rooted in biology -- but not for the reasons you might think.
But before I direct you to that webpage, let me first direct you to a different webpage, one that articulates the more familiar "body/soul (or spirit)" split. Although it does not use the word "dualism" (it uses "dual" so it comes close!) this "body/soul (or spirit)" split is the definition of "dualism".
The Brain and the Mind
Now here's the article.
It makes the statement, "In fact, it would be the discovery of the century if some sort of thinking went on that did not involve the brain.".
Natural Born Dualists
So, it would be the discovery of the century if some sort of thinking went on that did not involve the brain. What are we actually finding? We are finding a lot. Here are some recent findings (that you may or may not have heard about already) that caught my attention. Perhaps you will also enjoy reading about them:
Microscopy Scans Show How Brain Cells Process Energy
Multi-photon microscopy scans of living brain tissue reveal exactly how and when neurons (the cells that do the thinking) and astrocytes (the starburst-shaped glial cells that service neurons) interact to burn oxygen and glucose, after astrocytes make lactate from glucose in the bloodstream. <> "Over the past decade scientists have passionately debated whether the activated brain burns glucose completely to water or incompletely to lactate. Neurons, even at rest, are always burning glucose and they continue to do so when a signal begins to pass through the neurons. Then the astrocytes 'kick in' to provide lactate fuel that they have converted from glucose."Driving While Distracted
Between 4,000 and 8,000 crashes related to "distracted driving"—which includes the use of cell phones—occur daily in the United StatesInstructional treatment associated with changes in brain activation in children with dyslexia
Severe Depression Linked to Greater Number of Nerve Cells in Thalamus
We learn while we sleep - Link discovered between slow brain waves and learning success
Brain Scans Arouse Researchers
The study of sexual arousal, long limited to imprecise measurements of activity below the waist, is moving into new territory. In laboratories from New Jersey to California, researchers are putting men and women into MRI machines and watching how their brains react when they become sexually stimulated.Mind Reading
The new science of decision making. It's not as rational as you think'There Are Two Flavors of God People'
We now have the neurobiological evidence, from the studies of Andrew Newberg, M.D., that certain parts of the brain shut down and others light up during deep meditation. The fMRI work from Richie Davidson in Wisconsin on Tibetan monks also shows a shutting-down. This might explain how we access states of cosmic consciousness and unity. Whether this is a correlation or a cause, and what this means about the content of those experiences, we have no idea.Virtual Reality Is a Real Painkiller
People's physical response to pain is significantly dampened when they're immersed in virtual reality, and the effect could be enough to inhibit discomfort during painful medical procedures.Brain reacts differently to beauty, displeasure, loneliness
Here are the results of some recent experiments in brain imagingResearchers use brain activity as marketing tool, obesity clue
Their effort has also inspired a new field of "behavioral finance" or "neuromarketing," which studies what happens in the heads of consumers, investors and gamblers as they decide whether and how much risk to take.You've seen the movie, now take the brainscan
Crucially, brain scans, unlike focus groups, can't lie.Neuromarketing Demystifies 'Finicky' Filmgoers
The brain stores emotional memories differently: Study
the brain's emotional center, the amygdala, interacts with memory-related brain regions during the formation of emotional memories.Out of sight
Brain’s vision center plays surprising role in movement, self-perception. They discovered unexpected activity in a peripheral part of the visual system known as the extrastriate body area (EBA). This region recently had been implicated in the perception of other people's bodies, but there was no evidence that it also was involved in an individual's perception of self.Biomarkers of satiation and satiety
Sitcoms on the Brain
Different brain areas "get it" and find it funnyBrain Limits
"Attentional blink" is a term psychologists use to describe our ability to be aware of an event or object, such as a sign on the road or someone's face, even if we are paying attention to another visual event. But what goes on in the brain during the attentional blink?Group trying to snuff out porn
Pornography is as addictive as crack cocaine. People should be having babies, not watching porn. Establishing scientific proof could come with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI — a society endeavor expected to cost $3 million over a two-year clinical trial.The human brain responds to receiving rewards 'the old fashioned way'
Human beings are more aroused by rewards they actively earn than by rewards they acquire passivelySharing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is quickly becoming a reality
"We wanted to advance and expand the cognitive neuroscience field by making the raw data accessible to more people for free."An eye on the tongue
In just the first few minutes, the subject is able to build up a fairly clear picture of the letter ''T'' placed in various positions and transmitted by electrical impulses to the device on his tongue.Storage limits on our visual hard drive
The source of that limit may lie in the posterior parietal cortex, a region of the brain involved in visual short-term memory.Brain's Regret Center Located
Gambling experiment reveals its important role in decisions and behavior
Guess everyone's on vacation...
Some of us are meeting at Crossroads Cafe tonight. Details to appear soon.
Posted by: Kevin D. Keck | July 16, 2004 at 15:17