Hi Gav,(sorry), Hi Khaled I think that before these questions can be answered, we have to define "hard wiring" in an MOQ context and also define what we consider the alternative to be. Once this is done the question becomes meaningless:
"Hard wiring" tends to refer to things like reflex arcs where (supposedly) no "executive" functions are involved, in fact I would say the word "hard" has come to be used to establish linguistically that we are describing "matter" or "body" and thereby deliberately trying to exclude the "soft" that would be considered to be "mind". In that sense this is a SOM term, and only has meaning where a dualistic approach is taken as read. This is as wrong as it would be to exclude "body" from the same description, unable to say anything about the matter that might be involved, terms are excluded till there's nothing left: "I dream that there is a dream", or worse still, just "I". "It is valuable to some people have an ideology", is a more correct statement which can gather plenty of "hardness" from choosing an understanding of "valuable" that has embedded, near irresistible moral preferences for choosing particular versions of better. Q. Is ideological thinking hard wired? A. The preference for a particular set of static intellectual values, is expressed as a factor of the preferences of the static social values that value them. The hardness of those Social values is preferred by the particularly hard biological, and harder still inorganic values that value them". So, the answer's no - there's always choice. Jos > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of gav > Sent: 11 September 2007 08:01 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [MD] Is ideological thinking hard wired? > > > the only thing that is 'hard-wired' (wow that > mechanistic analogy gives a lot away) in us is the > universal law of reflection: inner = outer; as above, > so below etc. that and love i suppose. > still i don't like the analogy at all: maybe because i > am into 'rage against the machine'? > > > --- Khaled Alkotob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Well a while back the story was whether or not, > > charity was hard wired > > into us. > > > > now, it's being suggested that our > > conservative/liberal leanings may be > > hard wired too. > > > > > http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/268311.html > > Study links political orientation to how brain works > > By DENISE GELLENE > > Los Angeles Times > > Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists > > have found that > > liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than > > conservatives > > because of how their brains work. > > Scientists at New York University and the University > > of California-Los > > Angeles showed through a simple experiment to be > > reported today in the > > journal Nature Neuroscience that political > > orientation is related to > > differences in how the brain processes information. > > Previous psychological studies have found that > > conservatives tend to be > > more structured and persistent in their judgments, > > whereas liberals are > > more open to new experiences. The latest study found > > those traits are not > > confined to political situations but also influence > > everyday decisions. > > The results showed "there are two cognitive styles - > > a liberal style and > > a conservative style," said UCLA neurologist Marco > > Iacoboni, who was not > > involved in the latest research. > > Participants were college students whose politics > > ranged from "very > > liberal" to "very conservative." Scientists > > instructed them to tap a > > keyboard when an "M" appeared on a computer monitor > > and to refrain from > > tapping when they saw a "W." > > "M" appeared four times more frequently than "W," > > conditioning > > participants to press a key in knee-jerk fashion > > whenever they saw a > > letter. > > Each participant was wired to an > > electroencephalograph that recorded > > activity in their anterior cingulate cortex, the > > part of the brain that > > detects conflicts between a habitual tendency > > (pressing a key) and a more > > appropriate response (not pressing the key). > > Liberals had more brain > > activity and made fewer mistakes than conservatives > > when they saw a "W," > > researchers said. Liberals and conservatives were > > equally accurate in > > recognizing "M." > > Another researcher in the field, Philip Tetlock of > > the University of > > California-Berkeley, said he would be cautious about > > drawing conclusions > > from such neurological studies. Using that kind of > > evidence, he said, > > "it's hard to distinguish between someone who's > > rigid and someone who's > > principled." > > But Mark Pollock, an associate professor of > > communication at Loyola > > University in Chicago, said the study "provides > > scientific evidence for > > conclusions people (studying political rhetoric) > > have reached > > previously." > > Such as? > > "A higher tolerance of ambiguity and complexity is > > typical of people who > > are liberal," he said. "That's not a surprise. It > > does, however, suggest > > there may be a hereditary and neurological basis for > > that. It also might > > suggest there's less likelihood of people shifting > > their political > > ideology if it's hard-wired in there." > > Pollock saw another benefit to the findings: If > > political attitudes are > > tied to neurophysiology, he said, "it would make > > bashing conservatives - > > or liberals - pointless. It's not as if people are > > making a choice to see > > the world this way or that way. It's how they're > > built." > > The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report. > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > ______________________ > Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. > http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.html > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > This email was received from the INTERNET and scanned by the > Government Secure Intranet Anti-Virus service supplied by > Cable&Wireless in partnership with MessageLabs. (CCTM > Certificate Number 2006/04/0007.) In case of problems, please > call your organisation's IT Helpdesk. > Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, > monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes. > > > This e-mail (and any attachment) is intended only for the > attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, > disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are > not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and > inform the sender by return e-mail. > > This e-mail (and any attachment) is intended only for the > attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, > disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are > not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and > inform the sender by return e-mail. > > This e-mail (whether you are the sender or the recipient) may > be monitored, recorded and retained by the Ministry of > Justice. E-mail monitoring / blocking software may be used, > and e-mail content may be read at any time. You have a > responsibility to ensure laws are not broken when composing > or forwarding e-mails and their contents. > This e-mail (and any attachment) is intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. This e-mail (and any attachment) is intended only for the attention of the addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. This e-mail (whether you are the sender or the recipient) may be monitored, recorded and retained by the Ministry of Justice. E-mail monitoring / blocking software may be used, and e-mail content may be read at any time. You have a responsibility to ensure laws are not broken when composing or forwarding e-mails and their contents. The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government Secure Intranet Anti-Virus service supplied by Cable&Wireless in partnership with MessageLabs. (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007.) On leaving the GSi this email was certified virus free. Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
