Evolving Understanding

Buenos Dias Mis Monos!

I've heard people say that there is "...no point in trying to understand the world around us because the complexities are beyond our comprehension." To that I would respond, "you're correct...if you don't see the point, there is none..." However, I would argue that the pursuit of understanding is innate, necessary, and is a product of millions of years of evolution.

There are as many approaches to understanding the world around us as there are people to try to understand it. People may use theism, science, philosophy, religion, spirituality, or introspection (to name just a few) to help them conceptualize and understand their world. I know what you're thinking, "oh great, here comes another anti-organized religion spiel..." Well, first of all, I'm not going to talk about religion.

Religion = An institutionalized set of beliefs, values, and practices grounded in and holding reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe or any part therein.

Religion is too big to dissect in one Cubicle Chronicle; rather, today we'll address the psychological reasons for man's eternal pursuit of understanding; particularly, I will talk about the evolutionary-psychological basis of why mankind is obsessed with understanding and making sense of things, as well as the inherent flaw in our own conceptualization and mental processes of the external world.


Cognitive Evolutionary basis:

An advantage that we have over many other species is our developed cerebral cortex, which among other things, is responsible for our problem-solving ability. A well-developed cerebral cortex evolved because it enabled us to adapt to our environments through problem-solving and developing survival solutions. Basically, the main bi-product was an inherent drive and skill in "figuring things out".

One of the first methods humans developed for the explanation of the purpose and function of things that occur in the natural world was the conceptualization of supernatural. However, with the formalization of scientific methodology, our understanding of how things work in the natural world has exponentially increased. Supernatural and scientific explanation are thus two approaches we've developed to understanding the world around us. However, not many people attribute the creation of fire or disease to that of "supernatural causes" as they once did.

Does that mean science is being deemed a more credible approach to understanding the world?

If this were true, then we would find that the level and amount of scientific knowledge and understanding of how things work would be inversely related to the frequency and pervasiveness of supernatural explanation. In simple terms, "the more you learn and understand about the natural world, the less you use supernatural explanation."


Emotional Evolutionary basis:

In order to function in daily life we require a way of dealing with our vast range of emotions. Attributing negative natural events to supernatural causes may have been an emotionally adaptive way of dealing with ambiguity, purpose, and understanding; this was adaptive because it may have helped a person deal with stress & anxiety by believing in "life after death", "a higher purpose", or "someone is watching over me" so they could overcome survival hardships with a sense of "hope" & "promise". Along with evolved cognition, self-awareness, and emotional range, the sense of "hope" may be a bi-product that helps one cope with the complex emotions of the human mind.


Dualistic Tendencies:

According to Bering (2002), children seem to separate the death of the body and the existence of experience. Bering found that the younger the child, the more likely the child to believe, although something has died, it still may "have opinions, attitudes, feelings, or experiences."

For example: ask a young child what happens when an animal dies and they'll most likely tell you it is dead and "doesn't need to eat or drink"; but ask the child if the animal "still loves its mother", and they'll most likely say "yes")

So even before the brainwashing of "life beyond death", we are naturally inclined to separate the physiological body from the psychic nature of mind. In fact it's most likely this natural tendency to separate the mind and body that is the foundation of the "life beyond death" paradigm. This "dualistic belief" that distinguishes mind from body can be found even in adults, perhaps you can catch yourself believing them...

With that said, based upon the research in areas of psychology and neuroscience, the mind is a "product" of the brain. No brain = no mind = no memories = no feeling. Granted, research is still trying figure out some of the linkages between physiological measurements and abstract phenomena like thought, so I'm not going to go on and try to explain how the brain processes sensory information, creates memories, and how the different areas of the brain the collectively work to "git er dun", because A) it would take volumes, and B) I can't explain the every intimate process because it goes beyond my knowledge in the field.

My questions to the minds...

Do you believe that a belief in the supernatural is adaptive in modern society? Why or why not?

If you take away the supernatural, what would be an alternative way of fulfilling our needs for "hope" and "stability"?

Do you believe there can ever be a balance between the emotional and cognitive aspects of our minds? And if so/not, does it even matter?

All right, click the "comments" link right below to read the responses of others, as well as jot down your own responses. Oh, and "NO" you don't have to be a member of Blogger to put in your $0.02; Just select "Other" for your identity, type in your name, and post your comments... that's it.... simple as eating really ridiculously good looking pie!

I'm going to need coffee and then a sedative to make it through today!!!!