Introducing the brain: how emotions relate to mechanics (Introduction)

by dhw, Tuesday, August 11, 2020, 12:35 (1563 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: In zebrafish inbreeding can make different brains in the larvae:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200810113222.htm

QUOTES: "Personality varies widely. There are bold and reserved individuals, who behave very differently when faced with the same environmental stimulus. What is true for humans also applies to fish: their behavior shows a range of individual differences. By selectively breeding zebrafish, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology were able to show that distinct personality traits rapidly emerge and manifest not only in the behavior, but also through far-reaching changes in the brain.
"'The pace at which personality traits can be shifted and fixed in evolution is remarkable," reflects Herwig Baier. "The process might be similarly rapid in populations of Homo sapiens.'"

DAVID: The bold is a stupid comment. Humans don't line breed. However, your personality is tailored to some degree by the brain you inherit from your parents. Of course, the experiences one has in life and how one integrates them into the final shape of the personality is another major aspect of the final product. You learn to use the brain you are given.

Thank you for this fascinating article. I must say my first thought was to nod in appreciation of the fact that the researchers recognize the individual personalities of the fish. So many humans simply can’t envisage the possibility that our fellow organisms may be just as individual as we are. My second thought was the recurrent problem of materialism versus dualism. Just how much of the personality is “tailored” by the brain, and does the brain predetermine how we react to all the other influences on our lives: our upbringing, education, experiences, chance events etc.? Of course, nobody knows.