Reality Blind - Vol. 1

most part have no knowledge of what the other brains do, (or that other modules even exist). 2. Your “press secretary” module seamlessly creates stories that are socially acceptable to other humans, based on the results of brain proces ses it wasn’t privy to. 3. You believe this process was decided consciously and rationally and is the “truth.” 4. Your “blind spot” about these other modules is so profound that a human doesn’t even notice if half their brain is missing (as shown in split-brain patients). You are each an assembled multitude with a single (biased) spokesperson. Your human minds construct a virtual universe which is the “reality” you subjectively experience. But none of you evolved to possess a mental module with the task of accurately understanding the world. You only evolved modules for tasks which had utility to tribal primates and earlier ancestors. Things feel “right” based on the agenda of your genes, for a good reason. You have modular minds, structurally and functionally - plus an illusion of unitary self, plus an illusion of knowledge and certainty. You see why we find your species humorous? And yet, young hominid, you are in the first generation of creatures in a billion years to learn this information about the actual nature of your mind . That should count for something more than humor, right? The Bottom Line: The “interpreter” is the brain area that incorporates our feelings and behaviors into a consistent narrative and sense of self. While the interpreter may be the only conscious part of the brai n, it isn’t as conscious as it thinks.

Belief in Belief

“ Religion is the encoded language of behavior that serves to facilitate the transfer of energy through systems ” . H. T. Odum – Ecologist

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