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taming the amygdala



aristotle points out the difficulty of analyzing the mind, soul, intellect
and feels that not all of this is explained by natural science

the progression of survival,
selecting a more and more able cerebral cortex
or a more and more able objective mind 
results progressively 
in a cortex which can turn its focus on the mind
and more specifically on
the interaction of cortex and amygdala

this is happening now with more and more focus on emotion
​with the inputs of many disciplines

​reading the attempts of many philosophers
over the centuries to grapple with
the mind 
reveals a  plethora of terms, relationships, proposed interactions,
but no explanation of the glaring problem
at the centre of the question...
why are there two parts of our  mind?
...which seem so often in conflict

the explanation is this:

as we realize that we are selected by survival 
then this two part mind 
is also inevitably chosen by survival 

the driver for all thought is emotions through the amygdala
without which we would be catatonic
just as an ant would be immobile without its driving programme

this driver is not to be tampered with... 
or our urge towards survival 
(activity, procreation, nurturing, success...)
would be threatened

so the cortex and amygdala have been kept well apart,
to prevent our cortex from interfering with the amygdala
and weakening the survival programme.

the amygdala is like a sorcerer
 with the cortex completely spellbound
and brilliantly so, 
because it is totally unaware...
that every impulse it has is charged by the amygdala
the amygdala which is perfectly disguised 
as ourselves

the amygdala which can and will dominate as and when

this dominion is tempered by intuitive secular and religious wisdom,
with varying  degrees of success

but without any plausible reason from secular or religious wisdom
to explain why being wise and stoic,
to resist the wild urges of the amygdala.  

 being wise and stoic can be so terribly difficult,
because there doesn't seem to be a reason 
why half of our mind reasons one thing 
and the other half screams the other...

 the explanation for this age old dilemma is that

emotions are a dna survival programme
with:
dominance 
durability
inscrutability

and multiple conflicting demands

and they will only allow 
for the cortex:

degrees of  control
and glimpses of understanding

so the cortex has only fleeting impressions of what the amygdala does
and normally is left cowering in the wake of the amygdala 
and accepts this 
because all  humans accept this 
as normal
and after thousands of years it is normal
like breathing
but a rampaging programme that takes all before it 
is hardly an ideal setup

until we see this dna survival programme 
as in charge of us

​even though we all think we are in charge of ourselves
...we are doomed to repeat mistakes at all levels

once we see that it is like the programme that drives ants
in its massive power 
that it is old and has rarely even been seen properly by the cortex
that it doesn't have a plan
that all it does is survive
that we can be psychopathic, criminals or meth heads,
as long as we procreate and nurture


​once we see  this 
then the problem has a simple explanation

after which stoicism has a reason
how this came about...
an explanation for what caused it to be 
an explanation for why it is hard to always be good 
an explanation for​ why stoicism is not easy 

the driver programme has been kept very separate from the cortex
through all the ages 

and has thus not the sophistication of the cortex
now, maybe the cortex will come to understand the amygdala



 

 


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  • introduction
    • emotion : definition >
      • how the mind works
      • why live
      • why be happy
    • DNA >
      • survival
      • artificial intelligence
      • the self
      • reasons for living overlap
      • behind the reasons >
        • dna extended phenotype
        • overcome adversity
      • Meaning, which makes us content
    • who are you
    • DNA the architect of mind​
    • happiness fear and humour
  • the uselessness of mystery
  • invent happiness
    • unhappiness
    • positive emotions
    • negative emotions
    • mechanisms >
      • programmed
  • failures of emotions
    • the master
    • the gap
    • the other side of the gap
    • ignorance
    • binary versus analogue
    • blindness
    • challenges
    • escalation
    • power
    • mental illness is emotions out of control
    • drugs
    • crime
  • solutions
    • simple rules
    • diligence
    • focus
    • equanimity
    • awareness
    • intuitive
    • DNA vs you
  • humour
  • fear
  • depression
  • emotion meter
  • quiz
    • quiz answer
  • religion
  • questions for you
  • Emotions are autonomous
  • moods , feelings
  • the self and beneficial AI
  • you don't know what you are doing
  • emotions as weapons
  • stoicism
  • derivative thinking
  • taming the amygdala
  • criticism
  • philosophy
  • dna directives.
  • philosophers and emotions
  • philosophers
  • dna the designer...proof
  • response to emotions
  • science and emotion
  • social behaviour and emotions
  • emotions and politics
  • conatus
  • science
  • modern socioeconomic happiness
  • free will
  • introduction
  • dopamine and neurotransmitters
  • input process output