The Empathic Civilisation

Skip navigation

Sidebar -

↑ ↓

CEMB → Forum → Life, The Universe & Everything → Science → The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!

Welcome

Welcome to CEMB forum.
Please login or register. Did you miss your activation email?

Donations

Help keep the Forum going!
Click on Kitty to donate:

Theme Changer

Site default theme Optional dark theme Basic wap2 interface

Topic: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!

(Read 3090 times)

1« Previous thread | Next thread »
- atheist.pk
- میں نہیں مانتا، میں نہیں جانتا۔
- Ex-Muslim
- ಠ_ಠ
- offline
The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
OP - July 11, 2010, 07:53 AM

Brilliant animation and explanation of empathy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g

Must watch!

Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #1 - July 11, 2010, 09:22 AM

Wow, I just watched that. That is very interesting.

That mirror neuron part, when as a child you are developing the understanding of the empathic ability, makes me think that well as a child you pretty much 'experience' what other people around you are, constantly. So your childhood environment can effect your empathic/emotional development and permenantly fix it to that?

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #2 - July 11, 2010, 09:24 AM

No, I suppose the mind is more flexible than that, but I believe it will hugely stain your base empathic response.

Perhaps rewiring is possible, but with a lot of concious effort.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Saif Rahman
- Ex-Muslim
- Je suis Haram
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #3 - July 11, 2010, 09:26 AM

Quote from: stardust on July 11, 2010, 09:22 AM
Wow, I just watched that. That is very interesting.

That mirror neuron part, when as a child you are developing the understanding of the empathic ability, makes me think that well as a child you pretty much 'experience' what other people around you are, constantly. So your childhood environment can effect your empathic/emotional development and permenantly fix it to that?

Of course?

My Book
My Blog
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #4 - July 11, 2010, 09:30 AM

Yeah I know you get affected by childhood experiences, but I didn't think permenantly, i think the part that was really interesting was that physically in your brain you 'experience' what you see others experience, the same parts of the brain becomes active.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #5 - July 11, 2010, 09:32 AM

I know sometimes I'm amazed by the obvious/things I know, but if it's presented in a different way or something that isn't at the front of my mind currently. lol.

Isn't it very interesting? I love learning about how the mind works.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Saif Rahman
- Ex-Muslim
- Je suis Haram
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #6 - July 11, 2010, 09:38 AM

me too!

My Book
My Blog
- Pariah
- Deviant
- Ex-Muslim
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #7 - July 11, 2010, 09:44 AM

Quote from: stardust on July 11, 2010, 09:30 AM
i think the part that was really interesting was that physically in your brain you 'experience' what you see others experience, the same parts of the brain becomes active.

That is truly fascinating!

That video was definitely amazing, and everything makes so much more sense when you actually understand how it all works.

'The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but in rising everytime you fall'
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #8 - July 11, 2010, 09:55 AM

Quote from: IsLame on July 11, 2010, 09:38 AM
me too!

I was seriously considering taking a neuroscience degree, plus it would have elements of all the sciences, but I didn't take the risk. I knew I could do physics and I enjoyed it, in fact I didn't think I could do a degree in physics, it was a last minute thing where I decided I really enjoy this subject so why risk and study neuroscience or genetics (- that was the other option i was looking at along with neuroscience)

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #9 - July 11, 2010, 09:57 AM

I think it's good that I didn't study that, it probably would've killed my enthusiasm for how the mind works.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- ras111
- Devout Roman Alcoholic
- Pub Regular
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #10 - July 11, 2010, 10:14 AM

I saw a couple of flaws in that video.. Theology did not unite us that much actually. One can never achieve that unity simply through religion. It could be established for a limited period of time if there was a common enemy (take the Crusades and Islam) other than that it is impossible to maintain in a large group. As regards Haiti, would we have done that had we not been taught to be compassionate how good it is to give charity? He did not take that into account.

"Modern man's great illusion has been to convince himself that of all that has gone before he represents the zenith of human accomplishment, but can't summon the mental powers to read anything more demanding than emoticons. Fascinating. "

One very horny Turk I met on the net.
- OccupiedVoid
- Resident Hermit
- Member
- Good morning, Dave- Hal 9000
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #11 - July 11, 2010, 10:15 AM

This really only applies to those whose wiring does not deviate in the areas of the brain that are responsible for empathy. People on the autism spectrum are not really going to care, so does that present a problem. Empathy poses a problem. If one is concerned about the well being of others that person becomes hesitant to do that which would cause discomfort to others despite the benefit. Great things come at great costs and no one is willing do anything.

Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso,
quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

-the Aeneid
- ateapotist
- Supermassive Black Hole
- Ex-Muslim
- Spaghettifier Extraordinaire
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #12 - July 11, 2010, 10:23 AM

Quote from: atheist.pk on July 11, 2010, 07:53 AM
Brilliant animation and explanation of empathy:

I watched that video on your channel yesterday. Cool.

As well as some great neuroscience insight, it reminded me of Robert Wright's non-zero ideas.

Here's a quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonzero
Quote
The principal argument of Nonzero is to demonstrate that natural selection results in increasing complexity within the world and greater rewards for cooperation. Since, as Wright puts it, the realization of such prospects is dependent upon increased levels of communication, cooperation, and trust, what is thought of as human intelligence is really just a long step in an evolutionary process of organisms (as well as their networks and individual parts) getting better at processing information.

"Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so." -- Bertrand Russell

Baloney Detection Kit
- HighOctane
- Ex-Muslim
- On the flr of Tokyo, or dwn in Lndn twn to go go
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #13 - July 11, 2010, 12:14 PM

Good video, thanks.

I agree with it for the most part, but there are a few things I'm struggling with, one of which is truly identifying where your boundaries are.

E.g. There was a fox drawn several times. It is debatable if an animal spreading disease should be given the same level of compassion. And where does this extend to? Should compassion be given to Mosquitoes too? How about flu viruses?

-->> DONATE TO CEMB

Relativism | Cognitive dissonance | Cognitive biases | Memeplex | Consequentialism
- Stardust
- Founder of Neo-Hippiism
- Ex-Muslim
- Beneath The Veil
- offline
Re: The Empathic Civilisation - amazing!
Reply #14 - July 11, 2010, 12:43 PM

Maybe just to things that arn't a threat to the survival of humans.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
1« Previous thread | Next thread »