Modern Humans, Ancient Creatures
Both the good and the bad tendencies of mindbodybrain are innate properties
that have useful functions, were not invented by modern society and are not
going to change until the construction of brain changes. The dialogue between
good and bad in human affairs is constant, predictable and universal.
When a baby is born, the family and local community begin to teach the
emerging being what is going on here and now. They provide the local language,
costumes, customs beliefs and the local science and technology. All adult humans
have a technology to teach. While the local culture has an obvious impact on the
appearance and behavior of emerging adults, the constant innate features of the
human mind are pervasive and persistent. The variance in mental abilities within
a local group will often be greater than inter-group variance.
The first principle of bodybrainmind is that each person has a repertoire of
innate programs and some choice how the programs are going to be expressed.
Innate programs have been called "instincts." The old definition of "instincts"
-- behaviors that arise spontaneously and are not learned - needs modification
since evidence suggests that innate programming has to be practiced and is
molded by learning. The distinction between strictly innate and strictly learned
behavior is artificial. Some innate programming is relatively fixed and cannot
be changed by learning.
The distinction between constant features of the human mind and variable
features is useful. Constant features are manifestations of innate brain
structure and function. Variable features manifest the range of tendencies and
abilities within a human group, the variations introduced by physical
environments and the variations introduced by learning. Speech, for example, is
a constant feature of the human mind; a variable feature of speech is the
language(s) learned. A range of linguistic competence is determined by aptitude,
learning and the physical environment.
All brains are equipped to learn. We can use computational metaphors
to sketch in the territory of mind study, using concepts that are becoming
generally known. The metaphors are not actual or real descriptions of how the
brain works. When you are using a computer, you do not invent the programs
themselves but you do learn how to use them. You do not have program a word
processor, but you do have to learn how to use it. The more you learn about and
use your word processor the better you get at using it
If you buy a computer with software installed, the operating system and the
word processor seem innate to the system. This is roughly analogous to the human
brain that comes with a word processor installed or, more precisely, it comes
with installation routines that activate sequentially over several years,
progressive "software" installation that is modified by practice. If a baby does
not practice using the installed word processor, however, the progressive
program installation will be abbreviated or aborted. In the brain, hardware and
software are properties of the same physical entities. The distinction is
helpful to recognize that the inborn properties of mind are modified by learning
and learning is, in part, similar to software.
Cosmides and Tooby, Co-Directors of the Center for Evolutionary Psychology at
the University of California state in their course notes: "… all normal human
minds reliably develop a standard collection of reasoning and regulatory
circuits that are functionally specialized and, frequently, domain-specific.
These circuits organize the way we interpret our experiences, inject recurrent
concepts and motivations into our mental life, and provide universal frames of
meaning that allow us to understand the actions and intentions of others.
Beneath the level of surface variability, all humans share certain views and
assumptions about the nature of the world and human action by virtue of these
human universal reasoning circuits."
Many of the programs built into our brain have a special feature. They can be
modified and elaborated by the experience of the individual. Brainbodymind is,
therefore, an open-ended system that will evolve a unique identity in the
lifetime of each individual. Humans live in a tense matrix of innate tendencies
and experiential forces that modify or elaborate these tendencies. Individuation
occurs as experience modifies some brain structures and coexists with old
programs that persist regardless of the individual experience, because the older
brain structures resist modification. We talk in terms of freedom, free will,
and self-determination. These are all attributes of the open-ended possibilities
of bodybrainmind.
As much as we might try, we are not going to able to show a distinction
between sound and the experience of sound or light and the experience of light.
As much as we might try to elevate objective evidence as existing separately
out-there, we will never be able to go beyond the for-me-ness of human
experience. The distinction between subjective and objective is relatively
useful as long as you do not examine the distinction too closely. With close
scrutiny, subjective and objective are similar and the only issue is how many
humans agree on what it was that they experienced.
The modification of brain structure and function is "learning". Learning
involves all experience and not just time spent in school. In fact, the learning
achieved in school classrooms is relatively unimportant. Learning is dependent
on the availability of the innate program that organizes and supports the
acquisition of skills and knowledge. There is no chance of a newborn baby
talking in coherent sentences even if both parents prompt him 24 hours a day.
The baby and the parents have to wait until the brain has developed the language
circuits; they emerge in a predictable sequence. Every normal baby first blows
bubbles, coos and babbles, practicing language modules as they come online until
the whole system is fully functional.
To modify innate mind programs
Everyone has to practice using his or her innate abilities to become good at
anything. If you want to become a good killer, buy a gun and practice killing -
an electronic simulator will do.
If you want to win the Nobel Peace Prize, practice communication skills,
appeasement, and reasonable negotiation and learn to be compassionate.
Everyone has to learn tolerance and must practice controlling anger and
aggression. If you want to become good at hate, practice telling inflammatory
stories about other humans.
If you want to love and be loved, practice acceptance, appreciation and
gratitude; stop developing malicious stories and blaming others.
Understanding how people and the natural world really work does not come
easily.
If you want to understand, you observe, explore, study and protect the
natural environment. You form and sustain alliances with other intelligent
people.
Dedication to learning is required - sustained study, self-scrutiny and
continuous practice of tolerance and understandings are the prerequisites to
develop an insightful, compassionate, modern person. Learning is a life-long
process.
