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Tara Raju's picture

Yeaaaa Descartes

Submitted by Tara Raju on Sun, 01/27/2008 - 7:54pm.
The notion that behavior is made up of just the brain is to the say the least, slightly disconcerting. Sophie best translated this into saying that the brain is “like an automation” where “we are all a mere collection of wires, impulses and programmed responses”.  I think that behavior is influenced by a number of different things and just not the brain so I am siding with Descartes on this one. The things that we say or do are not always entirely influenced by just the brain or else we probably wouldn’t do half the things that we do. The brain knows the consequences of all our actions so simple behavioral choices are made simply because we want to do them, because it feels good, makes us feel loved, feel wanted. The  brain if it had its way all the time would most likely make sure that as individuals that we lived more sheltered lives.  Our behavior has got to be influenced by one of more things, and the mind is just one of them.  The behavior of all organisms, humans and a like, is so complex and so intricate that to simply define all behavior as direct activities of the brain would be inaccurate.  

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