Previously we discussed morality in the memetic context, more or less with the notion that morality is memetic. Though that is not the total truth, it’s more specifically a human truth. Which doesn’t mean morality is exclusively human. So I will ask, have any of you witnessed what you would consider moral behaviour in animals?

I think a moral action needs to be thought about first. Animals don’t usually think about acting. They do what is in their nature. It’s an interesting opinion, and actually quite common. People do typically believe that moral action requires human like thought. Why is that?

That’s a very scary thought to me given the nature of much human thinking.

I think animals have to have at least the seed of anything in us since we evolved from them.

If you go with the cognitive model of morality, people like me would have to be considered impaired morally as my thought processes are significantly deviated from the norm. And as much as there are some people who would question my genuine intentions and honesty, to date no one has seriously considered me to be truly immoral, or even amoral.

Is morality as basic as right and wrong? It’s not as basic as right or wrong. If so, there would be a simple script we could all follow and we would all be on the same page by now, or almost all of us. The idea that reason is sufficient to give us an understanding of moral behaviour is sometimes called the naturalistic fallacy, so perhaps we should discuss that. Is morality really obvious?

What is morality? Shall we use a social science based model of morality? Morality is defined often as behaviour that leads to the greatest good for the greatest number of people, so involving an active engagement as well as behaviour proscription. This is why we have so much memetic exploitation to deal with. A cleverly stated maxim can influence someone’s feelings and behavior powerfully, perhaps not unlike a virus. As they said in the movie “Men in Black.” “Most species consider human thought to be a contagious disease.” But let’s bring this out of the philosophical ether if we can.

It’s like baby babble to them. But babies are smarter than adults, I think. They are less distorted than adults. Perhaps it’s accurate to say they are clearer than adults, but this is indeed a virtue. This is why we need babies in parliament. Everybody nap, and share the cookies?

Shall we go into brain functions a bit? It used to be thought that when you weren’t actively engaged in thinking, your brain did only the very least it could do, just basic life functions more or less until some other form of behaviour became necessary. This has been proven untrue. In fact, when you aren’t actively thinking, the region of your brain known as the default mode network uses more energy than any active process of thought is really capable of. It’s sort of like a diesel engine remaining on idle so it can continue to function readily, and our brains do this constantly.

I’m thinking about how to stop thinking. It doesn’t shut off when I need it too. The only way to stop thinking is brain death, but the type of brain activity you are experiencing specifically can vary widely.

I’ve often thought of my brain as a diesel engine. It takes a long time to get started in the morning. That is likely true, as the hormones that shift you into the sleep set of brain functions don’t always clear easily.

So the reason your brain works like this is it is constantly rehearsing behaviour. This is why you dream as well. If this core unconscious processing stopped, you would lose any ability to make intelligible sense of your perceptions. In fact, your sensory inputs run through this part of your brain first, before you even “know” that you heard or saw anything at all.

They have discovered quite a few fascinating things in neuroscience. A great deal that students of metaphysical and mystical paths already intuited, even if the exact mechanics weren’t understood.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~Primal