Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: The Strange Case of Professor Gray and Other Provocations
- 1 Science and Scientism
- 2 Consequences
- 3 Neuromania: A Castle Built on Sand
- 4 From Darwinism to Darwinitis
- 5 Bewitched by Language
- 6 The Sighted Watchmaker
- 7 Reaffirming our Humanity
- 8 Defending the Humanities
- 9 Back to the Drawing Board
- References
- Index
3 - Neuromania: A Castle Built on Sand
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: The Strange Case of Professor Gray and Other Provocations
- 1 Science and Scientism
- 2 Consequences
- 3 Neuromania: A Castle Built on Sand
- 4 From Darwinism to Darwinitis
- 5 Bewitched by Language
- 6 The Sighted Watchmaker
- 7 Reaffirming our Humanity
- 8 Defending the Humanities
- 9 Back to the Drawing Board
- References
- Index
Summary
BOLD CLAIMS
[Neuro-talk] is often accompanied by a picture of a brain scan, that fast-acting solvent of critical faculties.
It is surprising that the world has not wearied of stories of findings by neuroscientists that are supposed to cast light on our true nature. Popular articles – which are often heavily dependent on press releases provided by the public relations departments of grant-hungry laboratories – are usually accompanied, as we have noted, by a brain scan. These are seen as visible proof that those clever boffins have discovered the neural basis of love (maternal, romantic, unconditional), altruism, a propensity to incur toxic debts and so on. And that's just for starters. The sociologist Scott Vrecko has listed neurobiological accounts of (take a deep breath) in alphabetical order: altruism, borderline personality disorder, criminal behaviour, decision-making, empathy, fear, gut feelings, hope, impulsivity, judgement, love (see above for varieties of), motivation, neuroticism, problem gambling, racial bias, suicide, trust, violence, wisdom and zeal (religious). The extent of neuromanic imperialism is astounding. Before we examine the shaky general foundations of these claims, I cannot resist sharing some of my favourite examples with you, which you may wish to examine in more detail by looking at the original papers. They concern love, beauty and wisdom.
According to the neuroscientist Mario Beauregard, the truest form of love – truer than the interested love of those who hope to gain from their object, truer than maternal love, or truer even than romantic love – is the love that low-paid care assistants looking after people with learning disability feel for their charges.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Aping MankindNeuromania, Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Humanity, pp. 73 - 146Publisher: Acumen PublishingPrint publication year: 2011