Biology 202 Web Paper 1

"You don't need the body to feel the body"

Biology 202

Web Paper 1

The human brain is a complex organ to study. In studying it, we cannot help but be subjective, as the studying of the brain is simply using the brain to look at itself. Necessarily our interpretation of what we see is colored by the brain’s own abilities and interpretations. Some people have equated this with looking into a mirror (1). Often times when we think of objectively studying something, such as our brain, we think that we must use logic reasoning and leave out those things which we perceive to be more subjective, such as intuition and emotions (2). However, in my exploration of the topic of emotions, I have discovered

Throughout history, mankind has struggled with the epic question: “who am I?”, and each time this question has been posed, we have been presented with the same troubling answer: “I am a thinking body. I am soul, in the flesh.” At first, this statement seems to satisfy man’s burning desire to know himself, but upon further reflection, this proposed solution may pose more questions than it provides answers. After all, what does being a thinking body really mean? Is the existence of such a paradox in a single entity even possible?

Beauty is often viewed as a sore topic to debate over because it is an element with no fixed definition. In society, beautiful people are often viewed as more successful, more popular, and overall as happier people. Endeavors towards achieving the ideal of physical perfection are significant because they demonstrate not only a cultural but a biological influence on the brain geared towards survival. Among others, a major question becomes apparent; what makes beauty, or the perception of beauty, such a variable factor in the human brain? Scientists have attempted to define a more scientific reasoning for beauty perception based on various neurological experiments.

Addiction:

Compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful (1).

 

Web Paper 1

Presented here is some evidence for biological factors involved in homosexual orientation and behavior, including microanatomy, psychoendocrinology, and genetics, though much of the research literature supports the view that it is due to an interaction of biological, psychological, and social or factors, as is the current understanding of much human behavior. I do not aim to fully endorse either a biological or environmental explanation for homosexuality, but merely to present some evidence for the influence of both on sexual orientation.
Background

About a year ago, I found myself laid flat on my back on the dusty wooden floors of a Pem East dorm room while by best friend and current roommate quietly directed me to envision a vast lake pooled in the center of my stomach. She asked me to “feel” myself there, to “go” there, to “be” there, there in the center of my stomach staring into my own reflection, originating form there. At this point I remember bursting into hysterical peals of laugher at the tingling, ticklish sensation I got from trying to “be” there in my stomach, an idea which my head just couldn’t seem to wrap itself around. In retrospect, the observation that I just couldn’t get my

            We have all had those moments where we find ourselves in a situation that we consciously know we have never been in; yet, there is a strange familiarity that creeps into the back of our heads. The phenomenon known as déjà vu was first used by French philosopher and psychic, Emilie Boirac, in his book, L'Avenir des Sciences Psychiques (3).  A French phrase for “already seen”, many who experience déjà vu have the feeling that they have actually experienced the same event or situation at a previous date.  This sense of familiarity can be eerily unsettling.