Morality

[DanaC]

I'm putting this in here, because I think it raises interesting philosphical questions about morality. It also raises some very intriguing questions about child development: at what point can we consider someone to be morally culpable?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8593748.stm

Scientists have shown they can change people's moral judgements by disrupting a specific area of the brain with magnetic pulses.

They identified a region of the brain just above and behind the right ear which appears to control morality.

And by using magnetic pulses to block cell activity they impaired volunteers' notion of right and wrong.

The small Massachusetts Institute of Technology study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In one scenario participants were asked how acceptable it was for a man to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knew to be unsafe.

After receiving a 500 millisecond magnetic pulse to the scalp, the volunteers delivered verdicts based on outcome rather than moral principle.

If the girlfriend made it across the bridge safely, her boyfriend was not seen as having done anything wrong.

In effect, they were unable to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions.

Previous work has shown the RTPJ to be highly active when people think about the thoughts and beliefs of others.

In both cases, the researchers found that when the RTPJ was disrupted volunteers were more likely to judge actions solely on the basis of whether they caused harm - not whether they were morally wrong in themselves.

Morally dubious acts with a "happy" ending were often deemed acceptable.

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a brain expert at University College London, said the findings were insightful.

"The study suggests that this region - the RTPJ - is necessary for moral reasoning.

"What is interesting is that this is a region that is very late developing - into adolescence and beyond right into the 20s.

[Griff]

[early tangent] You can see fore-shadowing in this that will eventually raise questions about seeing criminality as a disease of the brain and whether society can force treatment on someone. We (society) already try to intervene through the education system and there is pushback when we demand that children be treated decently in their homes... Some interesting arguments are coming down the road especially if "something" is lost through treatment.

[DanaC]

Absolutely. I mean, we've already seen how political orientation might be partly a matter of brain chemistry; along with such basic things as whether or not a person supports capital punishment. So much of what we previously considered the really high functioning, conscious decision making/thought processes, are starting to look more and more a function of brain chemistry/construction.

I find this stuff completely fascinating.

[skysidhe]

I stumbled upon infra sound and it's effects on humans a while back. It is very interesting stuff.

Infra sound and its uses as a weapon and its effects on humans are well documented.

It is said Hitler used infra sound to illicit anger in crowds.
http://www.lowertheboom.org/links/oi...us_weapon.html


Depending on the pitch, infrasound can cause physical pressure, fear, disorientation, negative physical and mental symptoms, explode matter, incapacitate, and kill. For example, in World War II, Nazi propaganda engineers used infrasound to stir up anger in the large crowds that had gathered to hear Hitler. The result was a nation filled with anger and hatred.

http://schizophonia.com/installation...esis/index.htm
Other physiological changes that occur include chest wall vibration and some respiratory-rhythm changes in human subjects, together with sensations of hypopharyngeal fullness (gagging). The frequency range between 50-100Hz also produces mild nausea and giddiness at levels of 150-155 dB, at which point subjective tolerance is reached. At 150 to 155 dB (0.63 to 1.1 kPa); respiration-related effects include subcostal discomfort, coughing, severe substernal pressure, choking respiration, and hypopharyngeal discomfort.

Some police cars are being outfitted with ultra sonic sirens which I think is a bad idea.

http://www.noisefree.org/video/bostonglobemay08.php

[classicman]

I think I'm experiencing deja vu?

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by classicman

I think I'm experiencing deja vu?

You can say that again!

[classicman]

that

[Shawnee123]

You ruined the joke. Ruined it, I tell you.

[Sheldonrs]

Morals are for people who haven't learned how to lie convincingly.

[classicman]

Clone thread - Moronity - Where is ... oh nevermind.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by classicman

Clone thread - Moronity - Where is ... oh nevermind.

Mortality. :-)

[classicman]

Moar-lately

[Shawnee123]

Mo Rocca

[Gravdigr]

Morals? We don't need no steenking morals.

[Sheldonrs]

"Morals are paintings on walls and scruples is money in Russia."