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InvisibleCidneyIndole
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Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization
    #14021306 - 02/24/11 05:44 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

This is a video I stumbled upon last night when I was far too stoned to discuss it. I am perhaps far too stoned to discuss it now, but I figured that's no reason not to share with you good folks. Only about 10 minutes but IMO worth the watch.

Some of the content struck me personally, because I've considered much of this before, and reflects much of my thought on our society.

This video talks about empathy in the human species and how this relates to our evolution.

The presenter talks about how primates are soft-wired with "mirror neurons"--where if a person sees another human going through pleasure, pain, etc, these "mirror neuorns" light up in response to what we are seeing, almost as though the others experience were a part of our own.

It talks about how we are not soft wired for aggression and greed etc, but affection and companionship, and that the drive to belong is actually one of the strongest human instinctual drives.

Suggests that empathy can be "developed"

Also suggests the wiring of modern man's brain may be different, and questions how consciousness has changed over history.

He then goes on to ask if it is possible to extend empathy to the entire human species, in effect, saving our planet--suggesting that to do otherwise would be to our demise.

He actually gets deeper than this-- it's a pretty jam-packed 10 minutes. But I am especially curious about the empathic aspect. I just think he describes it far better.

I'd love to hear some opinions on this



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I am me. We are You.

Edited by CidneyIndole (02/24/11 05:59 PM)

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InvisibleIcelander
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: CidneyIndole]
    #14021330 - 02/24/11 05:47 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

If you read the forum rules  you will see you need to include a topic of discussion with the video. This helps those who would not be interested from wasting time.


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"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.

" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.

With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC

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InvisibleCidneyIndole
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: Icelander]
    #14021349 - 02/24/11 05:50 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

give me a sec, I'll edit OP

Fixed. Hope that's good enough. :laugh:


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I am me. We are You.

Edited by CidneyIndole (02/24/11 05:58 PM)

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OfflineKickleM
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: CidneyIndole]
    #14021580 - 02/24/11 06:19 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

Not sure what is meant by "soft-wired" but from my understanding and studying of mirror neurons, they are present in a TON of animals. Our brains evolved from more primitive brains. Sometimes the evolutionary branches emphasized differing strengths. For example the amygdala, which is crucial in emotions, is smaller in a human than in a cat. If anything a cat will have a greater capacity for emotional empathy than us.

If you ever just study a cats face you can see any emotion you possess inside of it at one time or another. That's because your mirror neurons are mirroring what the cats neurons are creating. In fact it's likely that we are blind to some of the subtler emotions that cats present, just because they have that larger amygdala. Odds are they have a greater emotional depth than us.


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Why shouldn't the truth be stranger than fiction?
Fiction, after all, has to make sense. -- Mark Twain

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InvisibleDiploidM
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: CidneyIndole]
    #14021594 - 02/24/11 06:20 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

That was an interesting video. I especially like the way it was animated.

As to the points he brings up, I couldn't agree more, but I think he's very unrealistic.

Like him, I used to think that technology, especially the internet, would bring the world together. What has actually happened is that it has segregated us more than ever.

There are IRC chat rooms for drug users. Non-drug users never go there. Other chats for Muslims. Other religions never go there. Web sites written in Spanish and other in Chinese. English speakers never go there. More and more people interact only with like minded people on-line and less and less go out into the real world to interact with a cross section of society.

The list goes on and on.

Couple that with entire countries that use that very same potentiating technology to isolate themselves. In China, any search that might tend to break down barriers between them and others is censored. And the Chinese are such sheeple that they don't seem to mind being told what to think by their government.

Despite mirror neurons, humans are doomed, IMO. We will never get along and that video is wishful thinking and nothing more.


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Republican Values:

1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you.
2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child.
3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer.

4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.

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Offlineandrewss
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: CidneyIndole]
    #14021625 - 02/24/11 06:24 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

hmmmmmm... fighting for what you think is the "stronger" drive seems moot to me, its fairly arbitrary IMO - if you look at history and what plays out day by day you will see that yes we do have a strong capacity for empathy, however that extends only so far really - perhaps some of the most empathetic and understanding humans are easily equipped to let go over that drive in times of war and need so as to be able to provide for a smaller group they are more connected to and 'the other(s)' is treated with out any compassion and even exploited... indeed our mirror neurons can be utilized for "good or evil" - though one could argue that it isnt real empathy when its evil... but I guess you have to examine the beliefs that root in the action and then how those are fostered in the individual.

the question of empathy is very interesting though, I'll watch the vid later I suppose


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InvisibleCidneyIndole
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: andrewss]
    #14021825 - 02/24/11 06:59 PM (13 years, 9 days ago)

Quote:

Diploid said:


Like him, I used to think that technology, especially the internet, would bring the world together. What has actually happened is that it has segregated us more than ever.

There are IRC chat rooms for drug users. Non-drug users never go there. Other chats for Muslims. Other religions never go there. Web sites written in Spanish and other in Chinese. English speakers never go there. More and more people interact only with like minded people on-line and less and less go out into the real world to interact with a cross section of society.

The list goes on and on.







You bring up a number of interesting points. This one struck me, though.

Upon reading it I mostly agreed, but what about content crossover? I suspect we might see more of that as people become more informed in general.

I was struck with the thought "yes, but what about shroomery?"  I mean, this is a "drug" site where most non drug users would never go... but we really encompass a wide range of discussion, and an even WIDER range of people. There are folks on this site very different from me, whom I might normally not get the chance to interact with, because of the "segregating" interest of drugs.

I might be exposed to such a persons ideas, which might influence my own, or vice-versa... and even though we came from different backgrounds (and originally views) perhaps we could come to see eye to eye in this sort of way...

I hope you get the general notion of what I'm getting at.




Quote:

andrewss said:
we do have a strong capacity for empathy, however that extends only so far really - perhaps some of the most empathetic and understanding humans are easily equipped to let go over that drive in times of war and need so as to be able to provide for a smaller group they are more connected to and 'the other(s)' is treated with out any compassion and even exploited...





You are absolutely correct, sir. However, I believe that the person you describe in this scenario is "overcoming" their own drive for empathy to their own detriment and to the detriment of society at large but yeah, maybe to the benefit of some.

This war hero who overcame his own drive for empathy might come home scarred for life by what he was made to do and see. Does that sound like an unfamiliar scenario to anyone?


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Offlineandrewss
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Re: Homo Empathicus and the Empathic Civilization [Re: CidneyIndole]
    #14025826 - 02/25/11 02:39 PM (13 years, 8 days ago)

Yes your case is true but think about the conditioning that might be involved in that, and perhaps also think about the sociopath...


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Jesus loves you.

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