Religion

tama

(9,137 posts)

93. Gospel of Neuroplasticity

Thu Jan 24, 2013, 02:40 PM

Jan 2013

With empirical evidence the view of neurology has changed radically in recent years. There's nothing "hard-wired" in the brain, but it changes continuously through whole life - adapting to environment, according to how brain is practiced in response to external influences. The most encouraging gospel is that compassion and sense of global level in-group can be practiced and learned e.g. through contemplative practices, with very quickly visible neuroplastic changes in brain and it response-mechanisms.

This is about the workings of the individual, because we wish well being for all individuals, and because real global change can happen only through individual changes. Why care about social and global levels? In what kind of society would you wish that our children grow and live? In society based of greed and fear and us-against-them divisions and how those emotions mold our brains, or in society based on compassion and nurturing without borders?

Neuroplasticity is extremely fascinating and promising already on individual level, and that is the right place to start digging and studying, but once you realize it's social and environmental dimensions... Hallelujah! Heureka!

If you are interested, there's very good up to date presentation on IIRC day three morning session of talks with Dalai Lama by a German neuroscientist.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

108 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The Atheists Conundrum [View all] Fumesucker Jan 2013 OP

Don't think about it; I don't. elleng Jan 2013 #1

That was my first thought of a Reply. What on Earth does any of it matter, next to how we treat one patrice Jan 2013 #9

RIGHT, next to how we treat one another and EARTH! elleng Jan 2013 #13

It's one of those things that once you become aware of it you can never quite completely ignore Fumesucker Jan 2013 #14

I understand atheism & its critique of religion & I agree with it to the extent of the limits inhere patrice Jan 2013 #19

if you had real faith, you wouldn't Skittles Jan 2013 #11

I believe "what" cares tama Jan 2013 #23

Not losers!!! Do you know that Zen Buddhism doesn't have a God? nt patrice Jan 2013 #2

Losers in the sense that if you are a thoughtful person it's hard not to be alienated Fumesucker Jan 2013 #7

k, I don't know which threads specifically you are referring to. The one's I saw usually began with patrice Jan 2013 #17

Nadine, cali and Will Pitt all found it necessary to pen OPs to dump on the atheists Fumesucker Jan 2013 #18

I'm sorry they were un-necessarily disrespectful. We're all like that, including me. & I'm not sure patrice Jan 2013 #20

+ Infinity cleanhippie Jan 2013 #29

I grew up with Sekhmets Daughter Jan 2013 #31

Those OP's were in response to many other OP's that dumped all over theists. cbayer Jan 2013 #33

"dumped all over theists" Goblinmonger Jan 2013 #34

I feel less and less welcome on DU these days for a number of reasons Fumesucker Jan 2013 #38

It's not the mention of theism not be fact based, because it clearly is not fact based. cbayer Jan 2013 #42

But is it OK to call some theists "a bunch of dumbasses", as you have? trotsky Jan 2013 #68

pointing out religious privilege = dumping all over theists? Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #83

I don't object to pointing thing out or even complaining about the amount of cbayer Jan 2013 #89

maybe i do have a dog in this fight but Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #94

yesterday's crowd was really big on the 9 commandments lol nt msongs Jan 2013 #3

I consider myself an early adopter. Naturally there will be bugs. n/t dimbear Jan 2013 #4

I've always considered that it might be part of the Third Man phenomenon Warpy Jan 2013 #5

Some populations are far more reliably atheist than others though Fumesucker Jan 2013 #6

Exactly. Warpy Jan 2013 #8

sorry, wrong thread Skittles Jan 2013 #10

I think most to all of us, even skeptics, view some imaginary things as real. ZombieHorde Jan 2013 #12

Well it becomes clear that some of us worship authority anyway Fumesucker Jan 2013 #15

sure some imaginary things are real Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #84

As a fellow Atheist, there is a third option, and it's not quite the dilemma you think it is... Moonwalk Jan 2013 #16

Real faith, I'm told ... GeorgeGist Jan 2013 #21

You don't need theism tama Jan 2013 #22

Many people believe their children are exceptional . . . MrModerate Jan 2013 #24

It is not that they believe, it is WHAT they believe Demo_Chris Jan 2013 #25

Good question tama Jan 2013 #28

yes our technology has progressed faster than our ethical development Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #85

It sucks more to be surrounded by assholes. rug Jan 2013 #26

Well, perhaps you should stop supporting them, making it easier for them to get away with it. mr blur Jan 2013 #79

I don't. You'll usually see me arguing with them here. rug Jan 2013 #90

there is a third way called don't let it bother you CBGLuthier Jan 2013 #27

Amongst all this banter, thank God for corneliamcgillicutty Jan 2013 #30

Is it your contention then that everyone should be bothered or not bothered by the same things? Fumesucker Jan 2013 #36

Problem is tama Jan 2013 #80

Yes, there's certainly been a lot of words Fumesucker Jan 2013 #81

I like this cartoon tama Jan 2013 #82

Wow, really? You see those as your only options? cbayer Jan 2013 #32

Why the need to tell me how to feel about things and how to act? Fumesucker Jan 2013 #35

Because this is really divisive and counter-productive. cbayer Jan 2013 #37

I'm not trying to wage a war, that's where you are entirely missing my point. Fumesucker Jan 2013 #40

You are generally a very positive poster, so I truly do not understand where you are coming cbayer Jan 2013 #41

There's some big chunks of American culture that I do not buy at all, that leave me feeling Fumesucker Jan 2013 #43

The pile on against both theists and atheists is about equal on this site, imo. cbayer Jan 2013 #44

In the very first place you mistook my purpose in the OP Fumesucker Jan 2013 #56

I understand why you might feel left out. You are being left out cbayer Jan 2013 #57

Every single word or metaphor I can think of to use to describe my feelings is offensive to theists Fumesucker Jan 2013 #58

I'm sorry for what you have to endure IRL. cbayer Jan 2013 #59

Yeah, boat people is one thing, yacht people is entirely another Fumesucker Jan 2013 #60

I knew about the origin of posh, but this video is hilarious. cbayer Jan 2013 #62

LOL I lost count when... Kalidurga Jan 2013 #76

Because people that believe crazy things are likely crazy? cleanhippie Jan 2013 #39

Nah, mostly they are uninterested and non-introspective, i.e. dull. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #99

I never feel like a loser amuse bouche Jan 2013 #45

Try this on and tell me how it feels. cbayer Jan 2013 #46

So you are a parrot? amuse bouche Jan 2013 #47

Sure, I'll take a cracker! cbayer Jan 2013 #48

I objected to the troll accusations amuse bouche Jan 2013 #49

You were called a troll by a fellow atheist who often shares your point of view in cbayer Jan 2013 #53

When atheists start having a worldview that exists outside of reality, you will have a point. cleanhippie Jan 2013 #50

Atheists tama Jan 2013 #52

I wasn't. I said when they DO start having one thy isn't based in reality. cleanhippie Jan 2013 #54

OK nt tama Jan 2013 #55

It doesn't bother me that people believe in different things than I do. People believe in all sorts robinlynne Jan 2013 #51

Have you ever considered that both are right at the same time? NoOneMan Jan 2013 #61

Insane? Did you learn the meaning of that in psychiatry school? cbayer Jan 2013 #63

Insane doesn't imply one cannot function NoOneMan Jan 2013 #64

So, even by your definition, do you think all religious people are insane? cbayer Jan 2013 #65

Most everyone these days suffers from various forms of psychosis NoOneMan Jan 2013 #66

That's just a completely inaccurate statement. cbayer Jan 2013 #67

No, its really not NoOneMan Jan 2013 #69

Well that's not a psychosis. That's a personality, which may or may not represent a disorder. cbayer Jan 2013 #70

Personality doesn't refer to mental processes that affect the perception of reality NoOneMan Jan 2013 #71

Personality pretty much is exclusively the mental processes that affect cbayer Jan 2013 #72

"it is more appropriate to use plain English" NoOneMan Jan 2013 #73

Ok, doc. Good luck with that. cbayer Jan 2013 #75

The problem tama Jan 2013 #87

I think that the answers you seek are held in fields other than psychiatry or even psychology. cbayer Jan 2013 #88

Well tama Jan 2013 #91

These are areas in which my interest has been marginal, at best. cbayer Jan 2013 #92

Gospel of Neuroplasticity tama Jan 2013 #93

Well it's not unique tama Jan 2013 #86

Well you can't make the equivalent statement about a non-belief. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #100

Sure I can. I could call all atheists psychotic, delusional, stupid, etc. cbayer Jan 2013 #101

And that would be accurate too! Because it's atheists that believe dead people come back to life... cleanhippie Jan 2013 #102

you could do that, but it would not be equivalent. Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #103

Not believing something that the majority of people around you believe cbayer Jan 2013 #104

So a republican who doesn't believe that Obama is a Kenyan Muslim is delusional? Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #105

No, in my opinion he is not delusional. cbayer Jan 2013 #106

"For one thing, it has to be patently untrue" Warren Stupidity Jan 2013 #107

There is a clinical definition of delusional cbayer Jan 2013 #108

Why be alienated. Festivito Jan 2013 #74

I always think about how the first religion must have come about. You could say invented, brewens Jan 2013 #77

There is much more to religion tama Jan 2013 #78

I'm an atheist from an atheist family, uriel1972 Jan 2013 #95

:) Phillip McCleod Jan 2013 #96

<3 tama Jan 2013 #97

I hear you and I hope I have heard him more clearly in the course of this thread. cbayer Jan 2013 #98