Synderesis,Empathy,Synesthesia and a Mirror into the heart

[undergroundpanther]

As you read these snips from the links,and my comments, keep in mind this word and it's definition..
:Synderesis : The interior witness to universal basic ethics, the deep structure of moral reasoning,it does not make mistakes...
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mutual aid was a "moral instinct" and "natural law."
Based on his extensive studies of the animal world, he believed that this predisposition toward helping one another—human sociality—was of " origin."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The measure of a person's humanity is seen in how they treat someone who is of absolutely no use or threat to them.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10927536/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We are human because our ancestors learned to share
their food and their skills in an honored network
of obligation."Richard Leakey

Networks of obligation or,a Gift economy.
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Our hierarchical excluding competitive economy goes against what made us survive.This mistake of domestication of each other,the myth of private property,profit,usury..etc.. is made abundantly clear by observing and living in this sick capitalist culture/ belief system.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gtTadeE4t176FFMspI8Mq1PngmtgD923T4B80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Empathy is the only human superpower—it can shrink distance, cut through social and power hierarchies, transcend differences, and provoke political and social change.—Elizabeth Thomas
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16246
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1996, through single cell recordings in macaque monkeys researchers reported the discovery of a class of brain cells dubbed "mirror neurons" (, 1996). Located in area F5 of the cortex, these mirror neurons fired not only when the monkey made an action, but also when the monkey was observing somebody else making the same action. The monkey's neurons were "mirroring" the activity she was observing. Later on, by mapping regions of the human brain using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (), it was discovered that human areas that presumably had mirror neurons also communicated with the brain's emotional or limbic system, facilitating connection with another's feelings, probably by mirroring those feelings. This neural circuitry is presumed to be the basis of empathic behavior, in which actions in response to the distress of others are virtually instantaneous. As puts it, "That this flow from empathy to action occurs with such hints at circuitry dedicated to this very sequence." For example, in the case of hearing a child's anguished scream, "To feel distress stirs an urge to help" (, 2006, p. 60).

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16246
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a study of ten people who feel a touch on their own body when seeing another person being touched -- a condition called mirror-touch -- British found that the were able to distinguish between real and "mirror" sensations.
The findings reinforce the notion that the is caused by activity in the mirror system, a collection of neurons activated similarly by both our own performance of an action and the sight of someone else performing that action. This system is in turn associated with our ability to empathize, though the link is still tenuous: a handful of studies show that heightened levels of mirror system activity roughly correspond to an improved ability to see from different physical perspectives.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/what_i_see_i_fe.html
http://www.livescience.com/health/070617_touching_faces.html

..Music often works as what behaviorist Konrad Lorenz calls a "super-releaser" of "locked-in feelings." uses Beethoven's late quartets as an example. "People talk about the transcendent experience of hearing them," he says. "What may be happening is that Beethoven is giving them a language for powerful feelings they sensed they had but hadn't been able to express. The reaction is: 'That's it. That's what I've been feeling. Someone else has felt that, too.' The tears are tears of recognition."

Imbalance may be the deep wellspring of the tears art taps. There's a kind of doubleness in the pieces, performances and images that make us cry, an apprehension of something vast and insoluble yoked to art's sublime order and unearthly beauty.
"Certain archetypal situations, when augmented by art, can bring a sudden sense of overwhelming emotion," says Leonard S. , director of professional educational programs in psychiatry department. "These are hard-wired human connections dealing with death, abandonment, love, spiritual exaltation."
While the message is clearly important, the way art expresses and encodes what it's saying is what pulls the trigger.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/06/11/DD214485.DTL

Tragically, one of the rarest commodities in our culture is empathy.
People are hungry for empathy, They don't know how to ask for it."
Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph. D.


Some people are more or less empathy . By paying attention to their words and actions it seems they either do not feel empathy ,don't like to empathy or are so scared of deep emotion they do not WANT to feel empathy themselves,and they'll make the law bend to the pressure of missing ..
If you look at politics and look for the things emotionally adept people value,like art,beauty,deep emotion,empathy and conscience,the results of how insensitive those with power and wealth really are will speak for themselves.The pattern of the lack of caring,and ability to care is there for all to see if they observe and pay attention..
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E6DB1E38F930A25757C0A9629C8B63
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3248-democracy-beats-despotism-in-the-animal-world.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the absence of a conscience, behavior must be controlled by fear, threats and punishment, or by separation from society. This comes at tremendous social cost, and evidently is ineffective, given the overcrowded prisons and rising fines -- the United States being the best example of this.

It seems that laws are really only needed when conscience has failed. The more laws a society needs, the less emotionally intelligent.....
http://eqi.org/empathy.htm#Showing%20Empathy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are those who do care,and they will have to form clear BOUNDARIES,put limits on the kinds of conduct they expect of their relationships,realizing that the nature to care is being exploited by the ones who don't care to the hilt.These heartless people won't change they see nothing wrong with themselves.It seems they will forever have to be watched,limited,restrained,locked up,isolated,exiled or killed for the well being of humanity and pour species very survival. ,Because those who care can live without psychopaths,but these callous predators cannot live without the people who care,because
the people that can care are PREY to be exploited and abused,by the heartless among us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That said, one of the most vexing problems that remains to be explained is why so little progress has been made in extending this empathic orientation to distant lives, to those outside certain in-group moral circles. That is, given a world rife with overt and structural violence, one is forced to explain why our deep-seated moral intuition doesn't produce a more ameliorating effect, a more peaceful world.

suggests this is explained by massive belief systems, including political and religious ones, operating on the reflective and deliberate level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(To this I would add ECONOMIC beliefs as well)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As de reminds us, evolutionarily, empathy is the original starting point out of which sprang culture and language. But over time, the culture filters and influences how empathy evolves and is expressed. (de , 2007, p. 50) These belief systems tend to override the automatic, -reflective, traits that should bring people together.

hypothesizes the presence of what he labels super mirror neurons in the frontal lobe area of the brain. These more complex, highly developed super mirror neurons may control the so-called lower-level or classic neurons. In read these links keep in mind this word and it's definition..:Synderesis : The interior witness to universal basic ethics, the deep structure of moral reasoning,it does not make mistakes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mutual aid was a "moral instinct" and "natural law."
Based on his extensive studies of the animal world, he believed that this predisposition toward helping one another—human sociality—was of "prehuman origin."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The measure of a person's humanity is seen in how they treat someone who is of absolutely no use or threat to them.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10927536/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We are human because our ancestors learned to share
their food and their skills in an honored network
of obligation."Richard Leakey

Networks of obligation or,a Gift economy.
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Our hierarchical excluding competitive economy goes against what made us survive.This disasterous mistake of domestication of each other,the myth of private property,profit,usury..etc.. is made abundantly clear by observing and living in this sick capitalist culture/ belief system.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gtTadeE4t176FFMspI8Mq1PngmtgD923T4B80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Empathy is the only human superpower—it can shrink distance, cut through social and power hierarchies, transcend differences, and provoke political and social change.—Elizabeth Thomas
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16246
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 1996, through single cell recordings in macaque monkeys researchers reported the discovery of a class of brain cells dubbed "mirror neurons" (Gallese, 1996). Located in area F5 of the premotor cortex, these mirror neurons fired not only when the monkey made an action, but also when the monkey was observing somebody else making the same action. The monkey's neurons were "mirroring" the activity she was observing. Later on, by mapping regions of the human brain using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), it was discovered that human areas that presumably had mirror neurons also communicated with the brain's emotional or limbic system, facilitating connection with another's feelings, probably by mirroring those feelings. This neural circuitry is presumed to be the basis of empathic behavior, in which actions in response to the distress of others are virtually instantaneous. As Goleman puts it, "That this flow from empathy to action occurs with such automaticity hints at circuitry dedicated to this very sequence." For example, in the case of hearing a child's anguished scream, "To feel distress stirs an urge to help" (Goleman, 2006, p. 60).

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16246
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a study of ten people who feel a touch on their own body when seeing another person being touched -- a condition called mirror-touch synesthesia -- British neuroscientists found that the synesthetes were able to distinguish between real and "mirror" sensations.
The findings reinforce the notion that the synesthesia is caused by activity in the mirror system, a collection of neurons activated similarly by both our own performance of an action and the sight of someone else performing that action. This system is in turn associated with our ability to empathize, though the link is still tenuous: a handful of studies show that heightened levels of mirror system activity roughly correspond to an improved ability to see from different physical perspectives.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/what_i_see_i_fe.html
http://www.livescience.com/health/070617_touching_faces.html

..Music often works as what behaviorist Konrad Lorenz calls a "super-releaser" of "locked-in feelings." Zegans uses Beethoven's late quartets as an example. "People talk about the transcendent experience of hearing them," he says. "What may be happening is that Beethoven is giving them a language for powerful feelings they sensed they had but hadn't been able to express. The reaction is: 'That's it. That's what I've been feeling. Someone else has felt that, too.' The tears are tears of recognition."

Imbalance may be the deep wellspring of the tears art taps. There's a kind of doubleness in the pieces, performances and images that make us cry, an apprehension of something vast and insoluble yoked to art's sublime order and unearthly beauty.
"Certain archetypal situations, when augmented by art, can bring a sudden sense of overwhelming emotion," says Leonard S. Zegans, director of professional educational programs in UCSF's psychiatry department. "These are hard-wired human connections dealing with death, abandonment, love, spiritual exaltation."
While the message is clearly important, the way art expresses and encodes what it's saying is what pulls the trigger.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/06/11/DD214485.DTL

Tragically, one of the rarest commodities in our culture is empathy.
People are hungry for empathy, They don't know how to ask for it."
Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph. D.


Some people are more or less empathy defecient. By paying attention to their words and actions it seems they either do not feel empathy ,don't like to experince empathy or are so scared of deep emotion they do not WANT to feel empathy themselves,and they'll make the law bend to the pressure of thier missing consience..
If you look at politics and look for the things emotionally adept people value,like art,beauty,deep emotion,empathy and conscience,the results of how insensitive those with power and wealth really are will speak for themselves.The pattern of the lack of caring,and ability to care is there for all to see if they observe and pay attention..
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E6DB1E38F930A25757C0A9629C8B63
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3248-democracy-beats-despotism-in-the-animal-world.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the absence of a conscience, behavior must be controlled by fear, threats and punishment, or by separation from society. This comes at tremendous social cost, and evidently is ineffective, given the overcrowded prisons and rising fines -- the United States being the best example of this.

It seems that laws are really only needed when conscience has failed. The more laws a society needs, the less emotionally intelligent.....
http://eqi.org/empathy.htm#Showing%20Empathy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are those who do care,and they will have to form clear BOUNDARIES,put limits on the kinds of conduct they expect of their relationships,realizing that the nature to care is being exploited by the ones who don't care to the hilt.These heartless people won't change they see nothing wrong with themselves.It seems they will forever have to be watched,limited,restrained,locked up,isolated,exiled or killed for the well being of humanity and pour species very survival. ,Because those who care can live without psychopaths,but these callous predators cannot live without the people who care,because
the people that can care are PREY to be exploited and abused,by the heartless among us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That said, one of the most vexing problems that remains to be explained is why so little progress has been made in extending this empathic orientation to distant lives, to those outside certain in-group moral circles. That is, given a world rife with overt and structural violence, one is forced to explain why our deep-seated moral intuition doesn't produce a more ameliorating effect, a more peaceful world.

Iacoboni suggests this disjuncture is explained by massive belief systems, including political and religious ones, operating on the reflective and deliberate level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(To this I would add ECONOMIC beliefs as well)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As de Waal reminds us, evolutionarily, empathy is the original starting point out of which sprang culture and language. But over time, the culture filters and influences how empathy evolves and is expressed. (de Waal, 2007, p. 50) These belief systems tend to override the automatic, pre-reflective, neurobiological traits that should bring people together.

Iacoboni hypothesizes the presence of what he labels super mirror neurons in the frontal lobe area of the brain. These more complex, highly developed super mirror neurons may control the so-called lower-level or classic neurons. In Iacoboni's words "The super mirror concept blends the idea of specialized cells for actions (mirror neurons) and some executive control within the mirror neuron system. So, in my view, super mirror neurons are strongly influenced by culture BECAUSE they are a special type of mirror neurons."
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I posit there are two kinds of orientations regarding empathy,in humans. I realize there is a continuum of this,but the poles are of those who feel deep empathy VS those who don't care and let others suffer.And this is where the true battle lines are drawn in all the big and smaller relational issues we confront today and the ones we inherited but left unresolved from the past..individually in our relationships and on the bigger scale of the collective and more distant society to society relationships.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Civilization, as we know it, is largely the creation of psychopaths. All civilizations, our own included, have been based on slavery and “warfare.” Incidentally, the latter term is a euphemism for mass murder.

On a side note, where psychopathic culture is developed, I believe it is also possible that normal people get caught up in that and try to think and act in terms of psychopathy. So in such cases it would not only be the case that psychopaths know what they are, but that even normal people falsely "know" that they, the normal people, too, are psychopaths. That is tragic, and even thinking about that actually disturbs me, I have to say. I feel that those normal people have then been abandoned by us. I feel we, normal people, have a responsibility to keep our cultures under the control of normal people. As it looks to me, failing that responsibility means -- given that I believe there really exist psychopaths -- to abandon our fellow human beings (and animals, too, for that matter) to become prey to evil. I also believe that evil is in reality psychopathy, which obviously means that succumbing to psychos is to succumb to evil, and, happily, ridding our societies of the influence of psychos is to rid our societies of the influence of evil (that is, of true evil, of course not of all irritating things and obnoxious, rude or thoughtless people and so on).

Optimist

http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/official_culture.htm
http://www.2ubh.com/view/2006/03/psychopathy-of-new-capitalism.html
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread325021/pg1