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The Donald and the Chimps...

I think there's been a lot of neurological evolution since the Pleistocene.
We once lived as hunter-gatherers, in small bands, in a hostile world and in competition with neighboring bands.
At that time everyone was a Republican, so to speak -- hypervigilant, regimented, nervous, neophobic, xenophobic, and with a fierce tribal loyalty. Moral consideration was strictly in-house and did not extend beyond the tribe.

With the agricultural revolution and advent of settled communities selective pressures changed. Limbic neurology began to diminish. Human psychology started to become more cosmopolitan, the average size of the Right amygdala began to diminish and the anterior cingulate nucleus grew.

Today our species exhibits a wide neurological spectrum. Our hunter's hypervigilance and nervousness is now called ADHD, and is no longer selective, and the atavistic, tribal psychology of the far right works at cross purposes to the calmer, more flexible, cosmopolitan psychology of those on the far left. The anatomical and physiologic differences are usually clearly identifiable on CTs and fMRIs.

Many of us are born with brains little different from our troglodyte ancestors.
 
seyorni said:
I think there's been a lot of neurological evolution since the Pleistocene.
We once lived as hunter-gatherers, in small bands, in a hostile world and in competition with neighboring bands.
At that time everyone was a Republican, so to speak -- hypervigilant, regimented, nervous, neophobic, xenophobic, and with a fierce tribal loyalty. Moral consideration was strictly in-house and did not extend beyond the tribe.

With the agricultural revolution and advent of settled communities selective pressures changed. Limbic neurology began to diminish. Human psychology started to become more cosmopolitan, the average size of the Right amygdala began to diminish and the anterior cingulate nucleus grew.

Today our species exhibits a wide neurological spectrum. Our hunter's hypervigilance and nervousness is now called ADHD, and is no longer selective, and the atavistic, tribal psychology of the far right works at cross purposes to the calmer, more flexible, cosmopolitan psychology of those on the far left. The anatomical and physiologic differences are usually clearly identifiable on CTs and fMRIs.

Many of us are born with brains little different from our troglodyte ancestors.
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Take away the language and technology and pretty soon we will be just like our other ape family members. There isn't any actual test for ADHD and often there is a lack of consensus. It seems more to be something to do with behaviour rather than biological. It's certainly a good way of marketing medicines. Of course we can possibly find that Chimps will react to ADHD medications in the same way that we do.

Some interesting views here

http://www.additudemag.com/q&a/ask_the_add_medical_expert/6126.html
 
whichphilosophy said:
We've advanced technologically and developed a refined language but underneath that we're pretty much the same as chimps and baboons.
The Republicans and Democrats don't differ in that respect either.
Click to expand...
I think Republicans are more driven by fear of the future. Democrats are driven by fear of the past.
 
Trump's Appeal - it's in our genes

Primate expert Jane Goodall gives the best explanation for Trump's appeal:

In Trump, Goodall sees a male chimpanzee trying to gain dominance by making as much noise as possible.

In many ways the performances of Donald Trump remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals,” Goodall said. “In order to impress rivals, males seeking to rise in the dominance hierarchy perform spectacular displays: stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks. The more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy, and the longer he is likely to maintain that position.”
Click to expand...
(short source:
http://addictinginfo.org/2016/09/17/jane-goodall-says-donald-trump-reminds-her-of-how-chimpanzees-act-to-get-attention/ and the original long article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/10/who-will-win/497561/)
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
whichphilosophy said:
We've advanced technologically and developed a refined language but underneath that we're pretty much the same as chimps and baboons.
The Republicans and Democrats don't differ in that respect either.
Click to expand...
I think Republicans are more driven by fear of the future. Democrats are driven by fear of the past.
Click to expand...

Maybe that's why joint party committees are sometimes unworkable.

- - - Updated - - -

barbos said:
Elixir said:
She professes to recognize individual chimps easily enough...
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Trump and Clinton are chimps?
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They aren't chimps but cousins are chimps :)
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
I think Republicans are more driven by fear of the future. Democrats are driven by fear of the past.
Click to expand...
There are a lot more differences than that. Conservative and liberal brains are anatomically different; they think and process information differently. Conservatives have larger amygdalas and less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and left posterior insula.

Conservatives are more emotional, more fear motivated; more intolerant of novelty, diversity and dissent, more 'tribal', more squeamish and motivated by 'ickyness'; less analytic and more simplistic and black-and-white in their thinking.

In Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory, he found conservatives were more motivated by loyalty, respect and sanctity than issues of care and fairness.
The six foundations

Care: cherishing and protecting others; opposite of harm.
Fairness or proportionality: rendering justice according to shared rules; opposite of cheating.
Liberty: the loathing of tyranny; opposite of oppression.
Loyalty or ingroup: standing with your group, family, nation; opposite of betrayal.
Authority or respect: obeying tradition and legitimate authority; opposite of subversion.
Sanctity or purity: abhorrence for disgusting things, foods, actions; opposite of degradation.
Click to expand...
 
seyorni said:
There are a lot more differences than that. Conservative and liberal brains are anatomically different; they think and process information differently. Conservatives have larger amygdalas and less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and left posterior insula.

Conservatives are more emotional, more fear motivated; more intolerant of novelty, diversity and dissent, more 'tribal', more squeamish and motivated by 'ickyness'; less analytic and more simplistic and black-and-white in their thinking.

In Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory, he found conservatives were more motivated by loyalty, respect and sanctity than issues of care and fairness.
The six foundations

Care: cherishing and protecting others; opposite of harm.
Fairness or proportionality: rendering justice according to shared rules; opposite of cheating.
Liberty: the loathing of tyranny; opposite of oppression.
Loyalty or ingroup: standing with your group, family, nation; opposite of betrayal.
Authority or respect: obeying tradition and legitimate authority; opposite of subversion.
Sanctity or purity: abhorrence for disgusting things, foods, actions; opposite of degradation.
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Can you cite that? I'd Be interested in it.
 
seyorni said:
Just Google. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory
The Mighty Wiki knows all, tells all...


http://moralfoundations.org/
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There well may be differences between conservatives and liberals/socialists but there is noting to suggest a difference in brain activities. The study seems to reflect differences in philosophy wherein the site itself is philosophical. There's nothing about the brain functions.

This study is quite interesting
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23418419

Will a conservative's brain function change if he becomes a liberal?
 
whichphilosophy said:
There well may be differences between conservatives and liberals/socialists but there is noting to suggest a difference in brain activities. The study seems to reflect differences in philosophy wherein the site itself is philosophical. There's nothing about the brain functions.

This study is quite interesting
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23418419


Will a conservative's brain function change if he becomes a liberal?
Click to expand...
Do a google search. The brains are different both anatomically and physiologically. It shows up clearly in both CTs and fMRIs.
 
seyorni said:
whichphilosophy said:
There well may be differences between conservatives and liberals/socialists but there is noting to suggest a difference in brain activities. The study seems to reflect differences in philosophy wherein the site itself is philosophical. There's nothing about the brain functions.

This study is quite interesting
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23418419


Will a conservative's brain function change if he becomes a liberal?
Click to expand...
Do a google search. The brains are different both anatomically and physiologically. It shows up clearly in both CTs and fMRIs.
Click to expand...

There's a lot in google but PUBMED which I posted would support your theory as the post you provided did not.

However would a person's brain change if he switched from conservative to liberal? Then this poses the very old question whether(1) the brain reflects our actions and thoughts (2) our brains dictate our actions and thoughts, or (3) a combination of both. I tend to think the latter is more likely.
 
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