{"id":2266,"date":"2018-10-05T11:08:03","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T11:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/?p=2266"},"modified":"2021-05-29T15:27:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T15:27:26","slug":"the-brainy-trinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/cognitive-insights\/the-brainy-trinity","title":{"rendered":"The Brainy Trinity"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>The \u2018triune brain\u2019 is a popular concept: reptilian \u2013 mammalian \u2013 human. Yet the brain functions as a whole. This has huge implications.<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Evolution, no engineering<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Evidently, a mechanically engineered brain would be very different from the organically evolved one that we may call \u2018home\u2019 in the most literal sense.<\/p>\n<p>We are organic. Any naturally evolving organism \u2018grows\u2019 as a whole, continuously. Our \u2018engineer\u2019 is natural evolution. Thus, we at any moment, driven by the urge of that moment and towards the next moment. Nothing is completely \u2018new\u2019 at any time.<\/p>\n<p>Evolution also never has any precise goal at long term.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Within the brain: \u2018(a) reptilian \u2013&gt; (b) mammalian \u2013&gt; (c) human\u2019?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Anatomically, with huge reservations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>= brainstem, hypothalamus\u2026<\/li>\n<li>= limbic system<\/li>\n<li>= cortical structures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is the concept of the \u2018triune brain\u2019. There is indeed <em>some<\/em> brainy modularity. However, there are no three brains under the skull. The \u2018triune\u2019 brain, as it is mostly viewed, is a gross oversimplification. Even our \u2018reptilian\u2019 parts are very human.<\/p>\n<p>Functionally, there is even less modularity than at the level of anatomy. Still, I think it\u2019s interesting to follow the tri-unity this way. Functionally speaking:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>the evolution towards us, humans, went from existential (a) to complex (b) to flexible (c).<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In (a), one finds the sheer drive to live. It is very \u2018I\u2019 oriented. An organism \u2013 such as you or me \u2013 needs of course to <em>exist<\/em> before being able to do anything else. If one perchance forgets this, trouble lies ahead. (a) is the realm of our basic instincts, more or less automatically making us <em>live<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In (b), one finds a pre-dispositional attitude: emotions\/motivations \u2018pre-dispose\u2019 us towards action. There is more complexity \u2013 thus also \u2018freedom\u2019 \u2013 in (b) than in (a). However, there is a lot of cooperation and integration between these levels. (a) evolved towards more complexity <em>together with<\/em> (b).<\/p>\n<p>Evolution further evolved towards (c): more modularity <em>within<\/em> complexity. This led our brain also towards more <em>conceptual<\/em> mental processing: concepts are a kind of mental modules. The advantage is a lot more flexibility. This \u2018new\u2019 goal evolved from prior stages, as is \u2013 evolutionarily \u2013 generally the case.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>(a), (b) and (c) are very much a whole.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In view of this whole:<\/p>\n<p>(b) wasn\u2019t engineered apart from a striving within (a).<\/p>\n<p>(c) wasn\u2019t engineered apart from a striving within (b) and (a).<\/p>\n<p>(a) wasn\u2019t (further) engineered apart from the context of (b) and (c).<\/p>\n<p>(b) wasn\u2019t (further) engineered apart from the context of (c).<\/p>\n<p>We should take this into account in everything. We don\u2019t have a separately functioning (a) within us, nor a (b), nor a (c). There should not be the idea of any kind of competition between these, let alone a fight, let alone an <em>aggressive<\/em> fight. Such idea provokes a lot if inner aggression.<\/p>\n<p>We are at our best when we live in unity with ourselves, being what we are.<\/p>\n<p>No inner dissociation. Real human beings. Integrally one.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of present-day problems are the direct results of the opposite \u2013 namely inner dissociation and aggression \u2013 with huge implications on domains of health, morality, politics etc.<\/p>\n<p>We need to grow beyond.<\/p>\n<p>Urgently.<\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-2266\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u2018triune brain\u2019 is a popular concept: reptilian \u2013 mammalian \u2013 human. Yet the brain functions as a whole. This has huge implications. Evolution, no engineering Evidently, a mechanically engineered brain would be very different from the organically evolved one that we may call \u2018home\u2019 in the most literal sense. We are organic. Any naturally <a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/cognitive-insights\/the-brainy-trinity\">Read the full article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkwrap cbxwpbkmarkwrap_no_cat cbxwpbkmarkwrap-post \"><a  data-redirect-url=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\"  data-display-label=\"0\" data-show-count=\"0\" data-bookmark-label=\" \"  data-bookmarked-label=\" \"  data-loggedin=\"0\" data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig  cbxwpbkmarktrig-button-addto\" title=\"Bookmark This\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"cbxwpbkmarktrig-label\"  style=\"display:none;\" > <\/span><\/a> <div  data-type=\"post\" data-object_id=\"2266\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap\" id=\"cbxwpbkmarkguestwrap-2266\"><div class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguest-message\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"cbxwpbkmarkguesttrig_close\"><\/a><h3 class=\"cbxwpbookmark-title cbxwpbookmark-title-login\">Please login to bookmark<\/h3>\n\t\t<form name=\"loginform\" id=\"loginform\" action=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-login.php\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-username\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_login\">Username or Email Address<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"log\" id=\"user_login\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-password\">\n\t\t\t\t<label for=\"user_pass\">Password<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"password\" name=\"pwd\" id=\"user_pass\" class=\"input\" value=\"\" size=\"20\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-remember\"><label><input name=\"rememberme\" type=\"checkbox\" id=\"rememberme\" value=\"forever\" \/> Remember Me<\/label><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"login-submit\">\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" name=\"wp-submit\" id=\"wp-submit\" class=\"button button-primary\" value=\"Log In\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_to\" value=\"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/form><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[30,45],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/331.jpg?fit=960%2C564&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fdiq-Ay","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2266"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2268,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266\/revisions\/2268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}