Prelude
a b c d e f g
Contents
i ii iii iv
Dieu et mon droit
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Tat Tvam Asi
7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2 Mechanics of Evolution
9 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 70 1 2
3 Environment
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 80 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 90 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100 1 2
4 Physiology of the Individual
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 110 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 120 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 130 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 140
5 Fabric of Society
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 150 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 160 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 170 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 180 1 2 3 4 5 6
6 The Shrine of Content
7 8 9 190 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 200 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 210 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 In His Own Image
7 8 9 220 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 230 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 240 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8 In Search of Enlightenment
9 250 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 260 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 270 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 280 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 290 1 2
9 Mutation
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 300 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 310 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 320 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 330 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 340
10 Power of Prayer
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 350 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 360 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 370 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 380
11 Revelation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 390 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 400 1 2 3 4
Bibliograpy
5 6 7 8 9 410 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 420
Index
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 430 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 440 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 450 1 2 3 4 5 6

A common physiological trait of mammals, successors of reptiles in the evolutionary tree, is the ability to produce milk. This facility makes the mother essential to the early survival of an infant, but for this to really work there must be a corresponding need that entices the mother to incur the liability accrued from directly feeding her young. In fact, the young of virtually all mammals require greater support than is the case for earlier vertebrates. The emotions provide for a bonding between adults and their young, and among adults as well, that gives rise to continued support for the young following their birth. The point is not that such bonding is totally lacking in other non-mammalian species, but rather that it presents in a stronger fashion within mammalian species. The second major element in the development of the human brain is the limbic system, a region of the brain that surrounds and caps the brain stem of the reptilian brain. It is also termed the mammalian brain, recognizing the evolutionary process that got us as a species where we are today. In a way similar to his study of the reptilian brain, MacLean investigates the neurophysiology of the brain of various mammalian species to identify its components with behaviors that distinguish them from earlier vertebrates.

For example, grooming, nursing, maternal, separation and sexual behaviors can be associated with parts of the limbic system that work in association or separation. Since mammalian behaviors are much more complex than the already complex behavior of reptiles, there is still much to understand in the functioning of the limbic system. When combined with the advanced capabilities of the augmented brain of humans, the difficulty compounds, and the association of particular human behaviors with the mammalian brain is even more opaque to investigation. However, the emotional limbic subsystem does provide a bridge in the relationship between the cognitive functions of the brain and the autonomic nervous system. If driven into a state of anxiety, for example, the body might respond through heart palpitation, and similarly, a state of anger can cause blushing. In Chapter 4, we did a cursory overview of human emotions. In that discussion, the imagery implied by Scherer in suggesting that emotions lie between sensory stimuli and upper cognition based motor responses fits well with the anatomical relationships outlined by MacLean. The limbic system that gives rise to emotions is a central feature of the emergence of the mammals from their precursor species.

In humans at least, a salient state is ecstasy, induced by a chemical release providing a deep sensation of pleasure or importance. There are at least three distinct avenues through which the human mind can enter the state of ecstasy: (a) communal rhythmical rituals, (b) external stimulation by appropriate drugs (natural or artificial), and (c) personal experience (through meditation, or on specific medical conditions). All those avenues may be combined. Ecstasy is manifested by a disconnection of the sensori-motor system from the higher brain functions. In computers, ecstasy is the ultimate state of system change. Small system changes involve modifying one part of the operating system. Only the applications that use that part need to be changed for the computer to continue to function normally. However, if the system is changed extensively, the applications all need to be changed, or reloaded. For a time, applications are disconnected from the operating system that feeds their sensori-motor experience. We can identify a full system change with ecstasy, whereas smaller changes can be identified with more local brain rewiring, as in daily modifications occurring during sleep.

In Chapter 5, we expanded upon the concept of trust. We suggested that trust derives from the assessment that an interaction, or some aspect of an interaction, has a probable outcome that we can quantify in some fashion; an assessment of high probability that we know or can predict the results of the interaction we term high trust while an assessment of low probability we term low

The Mammalian Brain