ATHEISTS ONLY

@Setanta,

Another example, but a bit more fun one:

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Indeed, the lobotomy is my conclusion. But the idea is not too far fetched: historically the idea of lobotomy came from the erroneous idea that particular mental capabilities and functions were located in particular places of the brain (phrenology).

From that idea, it followed that one way to treat some severe mental disorders was to cut out from the brain those lobes that were believed to be dysfunctional. This led many doctors to mutilate the brain of thousands of patients in the hope that they could cure them, in effect making legumes out of them.

Because of this sad historical background of cognitive science, I am reluctant to give credit to any study that locates any mental capability in a particular region of the brain. We need IMO to give to the brain credit for being a network, a huge, hugely complex, intertwined and malleable network, not a set of discrete pieces or "centers" operating independently from one another.

I'm sorry to break it to you, but MANY mental capabilities have been localised to specific cerebral regions. Look up Broca's area and Wernicke's area, and their relation to language, for early examples. More specific locations of function, and even emotion, are being isolated every day.

This is not to deny brain plasticity in the case of trauma or to support historical lobotomy practice, which was barbaric - and not just because it was based on ignorance.

Jus' sayin".

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@FBM,

Translated, that means, "Send your checks to Robert Tilton, PO Box 22066,
Tulsa, OK 74121. We accept credit and debit cards too!"

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

Yep. John Oliver outed him with precision:

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/news/a37208/john-oliver-christian-tv-evangelists/

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@spikepipsqueak,

That also falsely characterizes phrenology, which did not allege that certain functions can be related to areas of the brain, but that the topology of the exterior of the skull relates to those functions.

1 Reply

@spikepipsqueak,

To my knowledge, emotions are by nature non-local; they involve networks of neurons that reach out to the entirety of the brain and modulate how other signals are processed. That's not to say that one gland or another are not involved in a process that goes way beyond them.

Likewise, people's language ability can be impaired by damages to more than one brain area, suggesting that not just one part of the brain is involved. Rather, a network is at play.

Of course our brain can have specialized regions but they work as part of a broader network and can generally be replaced by other brain areas once they get damaged, or reallocated to other tasks when needed.

Not unlike the circuits of a computer chip, BTW. There's NOT a region of the chip that specialize in mathematics, another one in word processing, and a third one in surfing the Internet.

1 Reply

@Setanta,

For your education, note the two meanings below (1 and 2).

Consider that meaning 2 follows from meaning 1: the skull shape was supposed to reflect the size of the underlying brain areas, like a glove on a hand.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/1895-Dictionary-Phrenolog.png

A definition of phrenology with chart from Webster's Academic Dictionary, circa 1895

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

With few exceptions I have to agree about the non-locality of many brain functions. The conclusions about higher brain functions published in 'respectable' publications and University studies makes me laugh sometimes.

The most absurd ones are based on FMRI studies. They remind me of a technique used in trouble shooting early MSI chip computer boards using temperature sensitive liquid crystal sheets that were laid over the board. If you knew what the normal temperature patterns were when running a given program you could see what areas were different and look for trouble in that area. But that crude information was as far away from knowing the underlying functioning of a computer as FMRI data is from understanding the brain.

There was one 'brain function' map that labeled one area "Reading ability". Think about that for a minute and you don't need to be a brain expert to see how silly that is.

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@Olivier5,

Note then that phrenology was based upon a fallacious assumption that the regions of the brain could be identified by the topology of the skull. In other words, it was bullshit, for that specific reason.

1 Reply

Dictionary-dot-com:

Quote:

a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.

Merriam-Webster-dot-com:

Quote:

the study of the conformation of the skull based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties and character

The Free Dictionary-dot-com:

Quote:

The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.

Oxford Dictionaries-dot-com:

Quote:

The detailed study of the shape and size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character and mental abilities.

Wikipedia-dot-com:

Quote:

. . . a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules. Although both of those ideas have a basis in reality, phrenology extrapolated beyond empirical knowledge in a way that departed from science.

These definitions can be multiplied beyond what i have supplied.

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https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b7/16/b6/b716b6df2612aa5b9b8b003e10fddc43.jpg

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@Setanta,

Phrenology was BS but not only because of the cranial aspect, which was just the most goofy side oc it. The basic idea that the brain is made of "centers" for speach, counting, memory, moral judgement, etc. was just as wrong.

The human brain probably exceeds in complexity whatever we can think of. Simplistic ideas die hard though.

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https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d8/1a/83/d81a83d0914f1dba4adc692c86de25ae.jpg

1 Reply

@hingehead,

Quote:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d8/1a/83/d81a83d0914f1dba4adc692c86de25ae.jpg

Neither nature nor the bible promises you safety.

Maybe that's why it said: 'Let every man work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.'

That meme is a great sentiment for every man, theist and atheist alike, to follow. Nature, society and theism can be deadly if not understood.

1 Reply

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/DinahFyre/11216574_1116584825023634_8453377400233821101_n.jpg

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@Leadfoot,

Quote:

Maybe that's why it said: 'Let every man work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.'

If that's its intention why so many rules and exemplars of preferred behaviour?

1 Reply

@hingehead,

Quote:

@Leadfoot,
Leadfoot Quote:
"Maybe that's why it said: 'Let every man work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.' "

If that's its intention why so many rules and exemplars of preferred behaviour?

My reading of the story was that it was man who asked for the extensive list of behaviors. It was a shitty system but he gave us the option and left the record so we would see how shitty it was. When it didn't work it was simplified to just:

"Love God with all you heart, mind & soul and love others as yourself".

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Hinge, that goofy holy roller troll is just trashing the thread. It doesn't help that you feed him.

1 Reply

@Setanta,

Previous page of this thread you replied to him twice. I must have missed the memo. FBM, did you keep a copy? Apologies for not keeping up.

setanta wrote:

@Leadfoot,
Oh man, the irony is killer here.

2 Replies

@hingehead,

Sorry, while I was sacrificing to Quetzalcoatl, I got hen's blood all over it. My bad.

0 Replies

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