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POPSBiocultural Evolution in the 21st Century: The Evolutionary Role of Religion My outline introduces the concept of biocultural evolution, particularly with reference to the Twentieth Century and the prospects for the Twenty-First Century. I then explore the concept of complex distributed systems to characterize all highly creative processes in both culture and nature. Subsequently, I turn to the problem of complexity horizons and the challenge that these present for traditional moral reflections. Humans are then characterized as a Lamarckian wild card in epic of evolution. I close by discussing the evolutionary role of religion. See source for the full paper: http://metanexus.net/magazine/ArticleDetail/tabid/68/id/8779/Default.aspx
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POPSNew Research On Octopuses Sheds Light On Memory It is not completely understood how these two systems are interconnected, if at all. However, the organization in the octopus demonstrates a sophistication that was not described yet in other animals. In the octopus, the short-term and long-term systems are working in parallel, but not independently. This is so because the long-term memory area -- in addition to its capacity to store long-term memories -- also regulates the rate at which the short-term memory system acquires short-term memories. This regulatory mechanism is probably useful in cases where faster learning is significant for the octopus' survival in emergency or risky situations.
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POPSHypothosis gains validity from objections.
Do extremism and an unconditional adherence to religious dogma result from a failure of a portion of the frontal lobe to fully develop or, if fully developed, to activate? Studies suggest that faithful adherence to a single reasoning strategy on tests such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test means that parts of the frontal lobes are inactive, have failed to fully develop, or have even been damaged. Thus, unqualified disdain for divergent beliefs,for personal interpretation, and for creative theories like Darwin’s theory of evolution, may indeed have, at least a partial, biological explanation: a reduced utilization of that section of the brain which has played such a vital role in humanity’s creative advances—the frontal lobes. By unconditionally obeying religious tenets—or any dogma—some people may be relying on the phylo-genetically older, more posterior portions of the brain that store knowledge and enable consistent or stable behaviors and, unknowingly, circumventing the portion whi
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POPSConfessions of a Lonely Schizoid <<<Yes, in my burrow, in my solitary thoughts, I dream my dreams. But they are the dreams of "the undeveloped heart." I dwell in my burrow with a gallery of images, the images of a plethora of people: the monstrous and the good -- some unbelievably good. They remain phantoms, however. I lack the ability to care enough about another person; I suffer from a deficiency of the capacity for love, joy, and empathy to occupy myself with real people. The passageways of my burrow are redolent of indifference: the benign but vaguely repellent odor of emotional emptiness.>>>
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POPSComplexity Theory and Psychoanalysis The Emergent Ego: Complexity and Coevolution in the Psychoanalytic Process By Stanley R. Palombo, M.D. Madison, Conn., International Universities Press, 1999, 395 pp., $65.00. HAROLD I. EIST, M.D. Bethesda, Md.
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POPSComplexity, Artificial Life and self-organising systems <<<But be warned - this site is conceptually demanding, those 'truths' you know are but shadows. Once infected by our alien thought virus, you will never be quite 'normal' again... You will begin to mutate, morphing up to a higher level, our level, beings whose abilities cross universes, transcend cultures, break free. Finally understanding the true beauty of sharing. Or you may sink down into insanity... Dare YOU take that risk ?>>> Been a good friend to clippers this massive site, but always worth bringing to attention!
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POPSChaos, Complexity and Jung A shortish and accessible basic overview of complexity and chaos theories and their relationship to Jung's varying concepts of consciousness
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POPSlife is destined to become more complex "We must not forget that bacteria – very simple organisms – are among the most successful living things. Therefore, the trend towards complexity is compelling but does not describe the history of all life.”
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POPSMoths remember life as a caterpillar Makes sense, The thing that they were testing for seemed like it would have become something like a reflex. A lot of the same things are dangerous. Why throw something you've learned away if it can keep you alive. The first thing I thought when I saw the story is that the body changes, but the heads seem to be similar, but of course appearances can be deceiving. .
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POPSEvolution of Social Groups: love is important Even as individuals we can take encouragement that small things count. History is the witness of benevolence always washing away the malevolence of the moment, no matter how hateful and powerful it seemed at the time.
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POPSGlad to see someone else mentioning it... Too many people seem to believe science gets hard objective answers. It doesn't. And even if it did, the interpretation of the communicated results would necessarily be subjective, based on the previous experience of the recipient.
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POPS'Other' Middle-East News while parts of that area are brewing volatile juices, in others, daring dreams are emerging. This is a peek into some of the projects currently under way in Dubai.
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