From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Nov 22 2005 - 12:41:37 GMT
Hi All:
Interesting article in today's NY Times headlined, "This is Your Brain
Under Hypnosis." In it are some ideas about how the brain processes sense
data from lower to higher brain regions and back again. As I read the
article I was struck by its relevance to Pirsig's theory of responses to
DQ filtered by static cultural patterns. Here are some of the key
passages. Perhaps those of a scientific bent can comment on how they see
this as applicable to the MOQ, or where it deviates from, let's say,
Pirsig's "hot stove" example.
"Now, Dr. Posner and others said, new research on hypnosis and suggestion
is providing a new view into the cogs and wheels of normal brain function.
"One area that it may have illuminated is the processing of sensory data.
Information from the eyes, ears and body is carried to primary sensory
regions in the brain. From there, it is carried to so-called higher
regions where interpretation occurs.
"For example, photons bouncing off a flower first reach the eye, where
they are turned into a pattern that is sent to the primary visual cortex.
There, the rough shape of the flower is recognized. The pattern is next
sent to a higher - in terms of function - region, where color is
recognized, and then to a higher region, where the flower's identity is
encoded along with other knowledge about the particular bloom.
"The same processing stream, from lower to higher regions, exists for
sounds, touch and other sensory information. Researchers call this
direction of flow feedforward. As raw sensory data is carried to a part of
the brain that creates a comprehensible, conscious impression, the data is
moving from bottom to top.
"Bundles of nerve cells dedicated to each sense carry sensory information.
The surprise is the amount of traffic the other way, from top to bottom,
called feedback. There are 10 times as many nerve fibers carrying
information down as there are carrying it up.
"These extensive feedback circuits mean that consciousness, what people
see, hear, feel and believe, is based on what neuroscientists call "top
down processing." What you see is not always what you get, because what
you see depends on a framework built by experience that stands ready to
interpret the raw information - as a flower or a hammer or a face.
"The top-down structure explains a lot. If the construction of reality has
so much top-down processing, that would make sense of the powers of
placebos (a sugar pill will make you feel better), nocebos (a witch doctor
will make you ill), talk therapy and meditation. If the top is convinced,
the bottom level of data will be overruled.
"This brain structure would also explain hypnosis, which is all about
creating such formidable top-down processing that suggestions overcome
reality."
Is this analysis of how the brain works compatible with the MOQ? Am I the
only one wondering where in this scenario value judgments come in?
Thanks.
Platt
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