Neurophysiology, today's phrenology? Combe's 'Constitution...' | Blogitem

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Shaun Johnston:
In modern times we've made two revolutionary discoveries. One is, how changes in physical matter can be accounted for in terms of physical laws that can predict precisely what will happen next. Having given rise to science (how this can be studied) and industry (how it can be applied) this revolution is well under way.

The second revolution is, how emergence of species of living creatures can be accounted for in terms of them evolving from one another. This revolution, despite its promise of how much it could tell us about ourselves, remains stillborn through the mistaken application to it of principles coming out of the first revolution--reductive physicalism.

For this second revolution to advance it should be taken from under the wing of science and studied on its own terms. Tip: one recent product of evolution is creatures with minds. Minds are better studied through methods of the humanities than through those of science. Tell me, does this interest you?

Neurophysiology, today's phrenology? Combe's "Constitution..."

Details: Written by Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston; Published: April 1, 2011 April 1, 2011; Hits: 3442 3442

Almost 200 years ago, interest in phrenology launched a self-help movement that came to dominate early and mid Victorian times. Does today's fascination with neurophysiology signal the imminent launch of a similar movement based on manipulation of the brain centers responsible for various mental faculties?

I've just posted a review of the bible of the phrenology self-help movement, George Combe's 1829 Constitution of Man Considered in Relation to External Objects. Combe created for phrenology an entirely new natural philosophy, with its own god, science and human nature. What natural philosophy would best exploit the self help potential of neurophysiology? I suggest, a world consisting of random events for which we developed the appropriate human mental faculties through two hundred thousand years of evolution. The new self help will consist of technological gadgets able to light up the parts of our brains activating on demand the faculties identified by evolutionary psychology--ruthlessness, sexual passion, and pleasure.

By comparison, phrenology looks pretty good.