I want to share with you some new scientific discoveries. Yes, they do have something to do with religion and in effect, shed some light on my questions as to why, as humans, we seem to need religion.
The headlines that attracted my attention were: “Study: Morality has biological roots” and “Researchers: Morality appears to be hard-wired”. The sub-heads were interesting also: “Experiment shows good impulses such as altruism are basic to the brain like food and sex” and “When volunteers placed the interest of others before their own, the generosity activated a primitive part of the brain that usually lights up in response to food and sex”.
I will not get into the minutiae of the actual experiment but suffice it to say that modern science can now map and view the brain as it never has before. Scientists can ask questions and see with what part of the brain you respond.
I have always maintained that knowing right from wrong is intrinsic to the human brain, i.e. we are born with that capability and do not need to be taught. Now, of course, we need to be taught manners particular to our culture as well as many other things but basic things like stealing and murder, etc. we automatically know are wrong.
The reason this particular scientific discovery about us humans interests me is that some of my religious friends and I suppose they represent a microcosm of the entire religious population; think that religion teaches right from wrong, good from evil and that is why kids have to have religious training.
Now of course, I can decimate that logic by just pointing to all the pedophile priests, mass murderers and the like that received religious training and so what…
This particular scientific study shows that culture is not what teaches us morality but that evolution has given it to us. Evolution as we all know is about survival of the fittest and even though genetic mutations happened at random, those with the strongest survival tools lived while the others did not.
To put this into perspective using our pre-programmed morality theory, people who got along with others and worked with and for the group (altruism) produced stronger groups which then protected individuals within the group better thus affording enhanced survivability.
I will take this a little further to suggest that the same group would be made even more cohesive and thus stronger with a shared belief system (religion) thus improving survivability.
Individuals that did not feel comfortable in groups because their brains did not have this morality gene programmed into their brains did not have as good a chance at survival and perished allowing the stronger, moral individuals to flourish.
You must admit this is interesting…
The headlines that attracted my attention were: “Study: Morality has biological roots” and “Researchers: Morality appears to be hard-wired”. The sub-heads were interesting also: “Experiment shows good impulses such as altruism are basic to the brain like food and sex” and “When volunteers placed the interest of others before their own, the generosity activated a primitive part of the brain that usually lights up in response to food and sex”.
I will not get into the minutiae of the actual experiment but suffice it to say that modern science can now map and view the brain as it never has before. Scientists can ask questions and see with what part of the brain you respond.
I have always maintained that knowing right from wrong is intrinsic to the human brain, i.e. we are born with that capability and do not need to be taught. Now, of course, we need to be taught manners particular to our culture as well as many other things but basic things like stealing and murder, etc. we automatically know are wrong.
The reason this particular scientific discovery about us humans interests me is that some of my religious friends and I suppose they represent a microcosm of the entire religious population; think that religion teaches right from wrong, good from evil and that is why kids have to have religious training.
Now of course, I can decimate that logic by just pointing to all the pedophile priests, mass murderers and the like that received religious training and so what…
This particular scientific study shows that culture is not what teaches us morality but that evolution has given it to us. Evolution as we all know is about survival of the fittest and even though genetic mutations happened at random, those with the strongest survival tools lived while the others did not.
To put this into perspective using our pre-programmed morality theory, people who got along with others and worked with and for the group (altruism) produced stronger groups which then protected individuals within the group better thus affording enhanced survivability.
I will take this a little further to suggest that the same group would be made even more cohesive and thus stronger with a shared belief system (religion) thus improving survivability.
Individuals that did not feel comfortable in groups because their brains did not have this morality gene programmed into their brains did not have as good a chance at survival and perished allowing the stronger, moral individuals to flourish.
You must admit this is interesting…
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