Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Manner of Speaking]

Researchers at UCLA have discovered that cells in a portion of the brain called the human anterior cingulate, which normally fire when you poke the patient with a needle ("pain neurons"), will also fire when the patient watches another patient being poked. In recent years, the hypothesis has been put forward that these "mirror neurons", as they are now called, may form a biological basis for ethics and morality.

In many religions, a cardinal tenet is what is commonly called the Golden Rule: "do onto others as you would have them do onto you." Dissolving the "self vs. other" barrier is the basis of many ethical systems, especially eastern philosophical and mystical traditions. This research implies that mirror neurons can be used to provide rational rather than religious grounds for ethics.

http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/ramachandran06/ramachandran06_index.html

[denverdeath]

Sorry, but I didn't have time to read the article(s). I wonder though about the morality thing. Is it really biological? Or, is it more like a learned bhr or vicarious learning in that the person actually knows pain because they have experienced/observed it before? Wonder what results they would get if they used a flock of sadists/masochists as the experimental group?

[Manner of Speaking]

[Gorgias]

There is certainly a biological basis to morality. Persons who are bothered to excess by their conscience can see a psychiatrist for relief. Also, it has long been known that certain railway spike style brain injuries cause persons to act as if without morals.

What is the difference between physiological and biological? Physiological considers normal or healthy function, biological is a larger term.
@Manner of Speaking,

[desultude]

The New York Times had an article on this recently. "Mirror neurons" actually could be part of an argument for culture and learned behavior- and psychological phenomena such as projection.

The first people to start looking at this stumbled on it when they were working with monkeys. A monkey hooked up to a brain monitor had the same part of his brain fire up that did so when he put food to his mouth when he simply saw a researcher put food to his mouth.

There appeared to be a lot of pretty solid research behind the claims of the article.

Yesterday's Times had an article on other brain research which showed that when a close spouse held their partner's hand, their stress and flight part of the brain calmed down. The closer the relationship between the spouses, the more the brain calmed.

Well, now I have to go out to the recycle bin and dive for the article.

(Hi MOS- well, as you can see, I have been reading the NY Times, among other things. Watched the State of the Union address live last night- when I see you we can talk about the real state of the union (US)- and it ain't pretty. Happy New Year, too!)

[Manner of Speaking]

[Manner of Speaking]

Des I wanna write more but I gotta meeting...good to see you TTYS!