'Evolution appears to have assembled the brain
machinery of emotion and feelings in installments.
First came the machinery for producing reactions
to an object or event, directed at the object or
the circumstances - the machinery of emotion.
Second came the machinery for producing a brain
map and then a mental image, an idea, for the
reactions and for the resulting state of the
organism - the machinery of feeling'
first up the theory of evolution is in Karl Popper's
terms a metaphysical theory - that is not empirical -
for the reason that it is unfalsifiable - which may
explain why it continues to enjoy such currency and
popularity in biology and apparently - neurology
we don't usually think of neurology as a pseudo science
and perhaps it's not when it's
done without the help of metaphysics and imagination
for Damasio - the brain is the machine room for the
emotions
must have started with a mecarno set and the moved on
to doing magic shows
and in this quote we get yet another characterization
of feeling - the machinery of feeling
is Damasio feeling his way with this theory of feeling?
the real break through is - 'Second came the machinery
for producing a brain map and then a mental image,
an idea for the reactions and for the reactions and for the
resulting state of the organism - the machinery of feeling'
this appears to be solid Descartes with the help of
evolution -
for a start - substance - which is what we are always
talking about here - is not evolving
from the point of view of our limited point of view -
given in ordinary experience - and given our need for
explanation of the motion and rest we observe and
experience -
yes - we have come up with some ideas that give us
a picture of what might be - behind the veil of
circumstance - evolution is one - and it has had
some - actual empirical spin-offs
but not only is it not science - it's not good
metaphysics
the same can be said of the Damasio's misuse of
homeostasis - in it's empirical context fine -
as some quasi - all embracing theory of biology -
it is misplaced - and certainly as a metaphysics -
very poor
the problem with this evolution talk is that it
is so mushy - unscientific
we have a brain map -
a map we have made
and then a mental image
yeah well you show me - where this mental image
is on your brain map
this is so bad it's almost ridiculous
if this is the state of neurobiology -
pity the patients
OK
substance as expressed in a human brain is
expressed in two ways
as a physical state
as a mental state
we can understand the brain - as we can understand
anything else as having a physical and mental dimension
in Spinoza I see no reason to say the mind is
in the brain
or that the mind - is the brain
it is important to understand what Spinoza is not saying
and how radically different his view is to the way
Damasio describes the situation
Spinoza says the mind is the idea of the body
he doesn't say the mind is the idea of the brain
