Scientists have been struggling with the idea of where behavior comes from. The general idea is that the brain is behavior. This idea stems from the fact that if the brain of a human wasn't functioning then behavior wouldn't occur, or if the brain of a subject is altered then the subject's behavior would be altered as well. Everything can be explained scientifically through the brain. But in saying that the brain is behavior that would rule out the idea of the human self or soul.

Strong evidence leads scientists to believe that the root of behavior is the brain. This is because victims of severe head traumas that leave them in comas have no behavior. These victims often have to learn how to perform several simple behaviors, such as talking, reading, writing and walking, from the beginning. Other evidence shows that traumas such as this to the brain can alter a person's character and temperment altogether. For example there was a famous study of a rail worker who suffered and survived a head injury. Yet everyone around him beleived that he was a different person, because his character changed from a calm, good tempered man to a man easily aggrevated and arguementative.

Drugs also alter a subject's character. Today, people who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder often find relief in a drug called Ritalin. Studies have found that subjects who have taken the drug are often calmer and can focus for longer periods of time on things than when not on the drug. Another example of how drugs effect behavior is that the mental disorder of depression is found to be treated with drugs an example of one is Prozac. These studies have found scientists to believe that these are chemical imbalances within the synapses of neurons in the brain.

The study of behavior today seems to be leading to one direction: that our behavior can be broken down into simple chemical processes. But there is still the question of a soul. What is it that makes us smile when we see something beautiful such as a sunrise? There are certain things that cannot be broken down and explained chemically like our morals, choice and self-awareness. How can the brain explain sentiments, like pride, caring and hatred. Some people believe in a mind, which controls things like sentiment, morals, choice and self-awareness. Yet this mind must be in some way part of the brain because without a brain none of these behaviors can arise.

Nice beginning list of reasons to believe brain is behavior; we'll talk more about many of them. Are you sure that that idea "would rule out the idea of the human self or soul?" Maybe they too, like the smile, are "in some way part of the brain?" PG