Science of Self (Humans)

by David Turell , Friday, March 14, 2014, 14:22 (3905 days ago) @ romansh

Newspaper philosophy with a dollop for both Romansh and for dhw. I think it is right on. Folks with intellectual drive override some more basic urges:-http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/opinion/brooks-the-deepest-self.html?emc=edit_th_20140314&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=60788861&_r=0 -"We originate with certain biological predispositions. These can include erotic predispositions (we're aroused by people who send off fertility or status cues), or they can be cognitive (like loss aversion).-"But depth, the core of our being, is something we cultivate over time. We form relationships that either turn the core piece of ourselves into something more stable and disciplined or something more fragmented and disorderly. We begin with our natural biases but carve out depths according to the quality of the commitments we make. Our origins are natural; our depths are man-made — engraved by thought and action. -"This amendment seems worth making because the strictly evolutionary view of human nature sells humanity short. It leaves the impression that we are just slightly higher animals — thousands of years of evolutionary processes capped by a thin layer of rationality. It lops off entire regions of human possibility. 
 
"In fact, while we are animals, we have much higher opportunities. While we start with and are influenced by evolutionary forces, people also have the chance to make themselves deep in a way not explicable in strictly evolutionary terms. -"So much of what we call depth is built through freely chosen suffering. People make commitments — to a nation, faith, calling or loved ones — and endure the sacrifices those commitments demand. Often this depth is built by fighting against natural evolutionary predispositions.