Law Of Malfunctioning

in #psychology5 years ago

Are we biological robots? A purely mechanical and deterministic view of the universe would lead to that conclusion. On top of that, our evolution in a universe that's governed by the ironclad laws of cause and effect, has shaped our minds to be experts at pattern-recognition.


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Image by smlp.co.uk - source: Flickr

Yet, because we've discovered that we can cause certain desirable effects by manipulating the material chain of causes and effects, and because survival favors the assumption of an agent behind observed effects, our brains not only scan for patterns, but for agency as well. When primitive man heard a rustle in the bush, it was just safer to assume the rustle was caused by a predator instead of the more logical explanation of it being caused by the wind; even if it was only one time out of a hundred, the ones who assumed a predator would have a higher chance of survival. Patterns and agency, or the lack thereof, are of the utmost importance for understanding how we came to be who we are, both as individuals, cultures and societies.

Assuming a conscious agent with a definite goal behind the rustle in the bush, is the safe, but in a way also the irrational assumption because 99 times out of a hundred it will be the wind, a bird, a rodent or something else than a leopard, lion or tiger. Assuming the worst is nonetheless the safe thing to do, and that may be the reason that we assume the best, most benevolent and powerful agent behind the primal cause of it all; God. I'm not saying that I'm sure this is how things played out, but I'd assign a high probability to it. It's interesting to say the least, to contemplate the option that our evolution and survival in a deterministic and material universe has led us to believe in something more than the stuff we can see and touch...

Are we mechanical robots then? Although the jury is still out on that judgement, I personally don't believe so. Evolution has also made us see each other than more than just walking sacks of meat, so that must play a significant role in our survival and relative success as a species. And, to borrow from Jordan Peterson; whatever is conducive to our evolutionary success must be true. "In a sense," I would add, because the universe doesn't owe us anything. But that these are "human truths" I would agree with. And besides that, I also believe science simply isn't equipped to answer certain questions, as it is strictly limited to the material side of reality's equation. And we know that there's more than the material, we are conscious after all.

Our biological, psychological and cultural evolution has brought the collectives of patter- and agency-seeking minds to the place where we are now. Our cultures are given shape to a large degree by economically driven institutions that operate under the law. Our justice systems are largely concerned with the material; the protection of property mostly. But the laws and judgments are framed as a remnant of our much more spiritual past; we still swear on The Bible and in passing judgement theme's like "good," "evil," "revenge," and "retribution" are still jused a lot. This is not a judgement either way, as I've already established that it's highly probable in my mind, that what science calls "irrational" or "irrelevant nonsense" is instrumental to our evolution as a species.


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source: Wikimedia Commons

This all comes together when we represent society's moral judgments in the law; we judge individuals only, and that makes the question if we are biological robots a crucial one. All of the above is just an introduction to the subject matter of the discussion between Alan Alda and Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist of Stanford University, linked below. They talk about (the lack of) free will, determinism, morality and the law, and Dr. Sapolsky makes the case for a more scientific way to frame the justice-apparatus. He starts with an example of how determinism and self-judgement are often contradicting:

"Most of us can deal with determinism to a certain extent. You come out and you've just gotten a great new suit, and somebody sees you and says 'Great suit!' And most of us are trained to say 'thanks,' and a quarter of a second later you feel slightly sheepish because 'I didn't make that suit. I didn't grow the Egyptian cotton... Am I being congratulated on picking the right tailor, or am I being congratulated on earning enough money to pay...?' It wasn't really me. And we have a whole lot more trouble if someone says 'Oh my God, you're beautiful! Look at your cheekbone!'"

We have had no input whatsoever in the shape of our cheekbones, yet we're perfectly willing to accept that as a personal achievement, something to feel a sense of accomplishment about, even more so than with the limited input we have in choosing the "right" suit.

He also gives this beautiful illustration of how the roles of scientific knowledge and spirituality have evolved in application of the law; in the ages of witch-hunting one of the methods to determine if someone was a witch, was to sit them down and read the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. If the accused did not cry tears during that story, she was a witch and burned at the stake. It was progress when science explained the human body as a biological machine, and pointed out that there were also biological reasons why someone can't produce tears, old age being one of them.

The point is that we're not responsible for how our minds develop, how our brains are wired, just as we're not responsible for the shape of our cheekbones. This is not to say that we should do away with judging and punishing people, because ultimately the law is, or should be about protecting society and the individuals contained within. It just means we should recognize that "good" or "evil," although necessary concepts in our cultural evolution, should not play a role in passing judgement or a much smaller role than they do now. The analogy with a broken car is a useful one; a car with malfunctioning brakes hasn't committed a mortal sin, but is too dangerous to let loose on society nonetheless. And some broken cars can be repaired, if not most of them... Please enjoy this insightful conversation:


Alan Alda with Robert Sapolsky of Stanford University - EXTENDED


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