#Human Cognition

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Curiosity

The philosophy of curiosity explores the nature, origins, and implications of human curiosity, which drives individuals to seek knowledge, explore new experiences, and ask questions about the world around them. Curiosity has long been recognized as a fundamental aspect of human cognition and behavior, playing a central role in scientific inquiry, philosophical reflection, and everyday life. Here are some key aspects and theories within the philosophy of curiosity:

Epistemic Curiosity: Epistemic curiosity refers to the desire for knowledge and understanding, motivating individuals to seek information, explore new ideas, and engage in intellectual pursuits. Philosophers have debated the nature of epistemic curiosity, its origins in human cognition, and its role in shaping scientific progress and cultural development.

Aesthetic Curiosity: Aesthetic curiosity pertains to the exploration of beauty, art, and creativity, driving individuals to seek out new experiences, appreciate diverse forms of expression, and engage with works of literature, music, visual art, and other cultural artifacts. Aesthetic curiosity raises questions about the nature of artistic inspiration, cultural interpretation, and subjective experience.

Existential Curiosity: Existential curiosity concerns the exploration of existential questions about the nature of existence, meaning, and purpose, motivating individuals to reflect on their own lives, values, and beliefs. Existential curiosity encompasses inquiries into topics such as the nature of consciousness, the search for transcendence, and the quest for personal fulfillment.

Philosophical Curiosity: Philosophical curiosity involves the pursuit of philosophical inquiry, critical thinking, and self-reflection, prompting individuals to question assumptions, challenge conventional wisdom, and explore fundamental concepts such as truth, morality, justice, and reality. Philosophical curiosity underlies the practice of philosophy as a discipline and informs broader intellectual endeavors.

Ethical Curiosity: Ethical curiosity concerns the exploration of ethical questions and moral dilemmas, motivating individuals to consider the consequences of their actions, empathize with others, and strive for moral growth and development. Ethical curiosity raises questions about the nature of moral values, ethical principles, and the pursuit of the good life.

Cognitive Curiosity: Cognitive curiosity encompasses the exploration of cognitive processes, mental states, and psychological phenomena, driving individuals to understand how the mind works, how knowledge is acquired, and how beliefs are formed. Cognitive curiosity informs research in fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science.

Cultural Curiosity: Cultural curiosity involves the exploration of diverse cultures, traditions, and worldviews, prompting individuals to learn about different societies, languages, and customs, and to appreciate the richness of human diversity. Cultural curiosity fosters intercultural understanding, global awareness, and cross-cultural communication.

Metacognitive Curiosity: Metacognitive curiosity pertains to the exploration of one's own cognitive processes and learning strategies, motivating individuals to reflect on their own thinking, monitor their own understanding, and adapt their learning strategies to achieve greater intellectual growth and self-improvement.

Overall, the philosophy of curiosity explores the multifaceted nature of human curiosity and its profound influence on knowledge, creativity, personal growth, and the human condition.

[captaingimpy]

The Myth of Adult Education: Why the Andragogy vs. Pedagogy Divide Fails

One of the most pervasive myths in education today is that adults and children require fundamentally different approaches to learning. This belief has fueled an entire industry dedicated to “andragogy,” a concept coined to define the supposed unique ways adults learn. But is this dichotomy—adult education versus child education—real? I argue it is not. Instead, this divide reflects social…

[fastlane-freedom]

Cognitive Psychology in Daily Life – Fastlane Freedom

Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study of mental processes, including how people perceive, think, remember, and solve problems. It explores the cognitive aspects of human behaviour, such as attention, memory, language, perception, decision-making, and problem-solving. The key objective of cognitive psychology is to understand the internal mental processes that…

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Remember: The burning sensation is part of the process.

[dreamerdrop]

Dukat becomes worse the more pitiful he is. Winn becomes more pitiful the worse she gets.

Dukat has these moments where you could almost feel sorry for him, but he just doubles down on how horrible he is in a way that makes you forget that moment of pity because he genuinely and sincerely does not think he’s done anything wrong, ever.

Winn has moments where she seems to be weilding her cruelty like armor, but then has a moment of vulnerability and doubt that make you realise you can’t quite hate her, you just feel sorry for her instead, because some part of her seems to know she’s going down a bad path but she is so terrified she can’t make herself turn back.

Their character arcs look similar on a surface level but are very, very different trajectories.

[doomer-soyjack]

"It's okay to be angry, you're just human after all. ☺️"

Okay.

"Empathy is what makes you human. 🥰"

[sanctiphera]

Are we waking up to reality yet? Anne Frank had nothing to do with Gaza, so there is no reason to deface her statue unless the real reason is nothing to do with Gaza.

This is a pretty low thing to do, but I'm sure they're going to find a way to sink even lower.

[arctic-hands]

My belief with no real proof other than the trivial knowledge that bears have been observed gazing out in wonder at beautiful scenes before them, but I think bears* are just as sapient as humans there's just something that makes them snap and go batshit aggro whenever they see a human being

*not pandas

[omegaphilosophia]

Decoding the Relationship Between Beliefs and Perspectives

The Influence of Beliefs on Perspectives:

Beliefs act as the cornerstone of our perspectives. They are the result of our experiences, upbringing, culture, and personal reflections. These deeply rooted convictions form the foundation upon which we construct our understanding of the world.

Cultural and Societal Influence: Our beliefs are profoundly influenced by the culture and society we are born into. These inherited beliefs serve as a template for our worldview, shaping our perception of what is right, wrong, acceptable, or taboo. For example, in some cultures, collectivism is highly valued, while individualism takes precedence in others. These differing cultural beliefs fundamentally alter how individuals perceive their roles in society.

Confirmation Bias: Once we hold a belief, we tend to seek out information that confirms it, further solidifying our perspective. This confirmation bias can lead us down a path of selective exposure, where we only expose ourselves to information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs. This phenomenon not only reinforces our beliefs but also narrows our perspective, limiting our ability to consider alternative viewpoints.

The Reciprocal Relationship:

While beliefs influence perspectives, the relationship is reciprocal. Our perspectives, in turn, can shape our beliefs.

Perspective and Empathy: When we strive to understand the perspectives of others, it can challenge our existing beliefs. Engaging with diverse perspectives fosters empathy and allows us to see the world through different lenses. As a result, we may reevaluate and even alter our beliefs based on this broader understanding.

Critical Thinking: Developing critical thinking skills can empower us to critically examine our beliefs. By evaluating evidence, considering counterarguments, and exposing ourselves to differing viewpoints, we can refine our beliefs and cultivate more informed perspectives.

Conclusion:

Our beliefs and perspectives are intricately woven together, forming a tapestry that defines our understanding of the world. Recognizing the profound influence of beliefs on perspectives, as well as the reciprocal relationship between the two, is a crucial step in navigating the complex landscape of human cognition.

As we continue to explore the dynamics between beliefs and perspectives, we gain valuable insights into human behavior, decision-making, and the shared tapestry of our interconnected world. It is through this understanding that we can strive for a more empathetic, open-minded, and harmonious coexistence, built upon a foundation of mutual respect for the diverse perspectives that shape our reality.

[mxtxfanatic]

Ngl, I’m actually pretty uncomfortable reading my old posts defending the goodness of the common people and their right to defend themselves—as persecuted groups or as individuals—from hierarchical tyranny, given how easily in this current irl moment a not-insignificant amount of people have fallen into supporting an active genocide, because I cannot separate this from how much pushback I got (and still sometimes get) for being consistent in my politics

[woundgallery]

Loving to Survive: Sexual Terror, Men's Violence, and Women's Lives by Dee L.R. Graham

[jcmarchi]

Brain pathways that control dopamine release may influence motor control

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/brain-pathways-that-control-dopamine-release-may-influence-motor-control/

Brain pathways that control dopamine release may influence motor control

Within the human brain, movement is coordinated by a brain region called the striatum, which sends instructions to motor neurons in the brain. Those instructions are conveyed by two pathways, one that initiates movement (“go”) and one that suppresses it (“no-go”).

In a new study, MIT researchers have discovered an additional two pathways that arise in the striatum and appear to modulate the effects of the go and no-go pathways. These newly discovered pathways connect to dopamine-producing neurons in the brain — one stimulates dopamine release and the other inhibits it.

By controlling the amount of dopamine in the brain via clusters of neurons known as striosomes, these pathways appear to modify the instructions given by the go and no-go pathways. They may be especially involved in influencing decisions that have a strong emotional component, the researchers say.

“Among all the regions of the striatum, the striosomes alone turned out to be able to project to the dopamine-containing neurons, which we think has something to do with motivation, mood, and controlling movement,” says Ann Graybiel, an MIT Institute Professor, a member of MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the senior author of the new study.

Iakovos Lazaridis, a research scientist at the McGovern Institute, is the lead author of the paper, which appears today in the journal Current Biology.

New pathways

Graybiel has spent much of her career studying the striatum, a structure located deep within the brain that is involved in learning and decision-making, as well as control of movement.

Within the striatum, neurons are arranged in a labyrinth-like structure that includes striosomes, which Graybiel discovered in the 1970s. The classical go and no-go pathways arise from neurons that surround the striosomes, which are known collectively as the matrix. The matrix cells that give rise to these pathways receive input from sensory processing regions such as the visual cortex and auditory cortex. Then, they send go or no-go commands to neurons in the motor cortex.

However, the function of the striosomes, which are not part of those pathways, remained unknown. For many years, researchers in Graybiel’s lab have been trying to solve that mystery.

Their previous work revealed that striosomes receive much of their input from parts of the brain that process emotion. Within striosomes, there are two major types of neurons, classified as D1 and D2. In a 2015 study, Graybiel found that one of these cell types, D1, sends input to the substantia nigra, which is the brain’s major dopamine-producing center.

It took much longer to trace the output of the other set, D2 neurons. In the new Current Biology study, the researchers discovered that those neurons also eventually project to the substantia nigra, but first they connect to a set of neurons in the globus palladus, which inhibits dopamine output. This pathway, an indirect connection to the substantia nigra, reduces the brain’s dopamine output and inhibits movement.

The researchers also confirmed their earlier finding that the pathway arising from D1 striosomes connects directly to the substantia nigra, stimulating dopamine release and initiating movement.

“In the striosomes, we’ve found what is probably a mimic of the classical go/no-go pathways,” Graybiel says. “They’re like classic motor go/no-go pathways, but they don’t go to the motor output neurons of the basal ganglia. Instead, they go to the dopamine cells, which are so important to movement and motivation.”

Emotional decisions

The findings suggest that the classical model of how the striatum controls movement needs to be modified to include the role of these newly identified pathways. The researchers now hope to test their hypothesis that input related to motivation and emotion, which enters the striosomes from the cortex and the limbic system, influences dopamine levels in a way that can encourage or discourage action.

That dopamine release may be especially relevant for actions that induce anxiety or stress. In their 2015 study, Graybiel’s lab found that striosomes play a key role in making decisions that provoke high levels of anxiety; in particular, those that are high risk but may also have a big payoff.

“Ann Graybiel and colleagues have earlier found that the striosome is concerned with inhibiting dopamine neurons. Now they show unexpectedly that another type of striosomal neuron exerts the opposite effect and can signal reward. The striosomes can thus both up- or down-regulate dopamine activity, a very important discovery. Clearly, the regulation of dopamine activity is critical in our everyday life with regard to both movements and mood, to which the striosomes contribute,” says Sten Grillner, a professor of neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who was not involved in the research.

Another possibility the researchers plan to explore is whether striosomes and matrix cells are arranged in modules that affect motor control of specific parts of the body.

“The next step is trying to isolate some of these modules, and by simultaneously working with cells that belong to the same module, whether they are in the matrix or striosomes, try to pinpoint how the striosomes modulate the underlying function of each of these modules,” Lazaridis says.

They also hope to explore how the striosomal circuits, which project to the same region of the brain that is ravaged by Parkinson’s disease, may influence that disorder.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Saks-Kavanaugh Foundation, the William N. and Bernice E. Bumpus Foundation, Jim and Joan Schattinger, the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research, Robert Buxton, the Simons Foundation, the CHDI Foundation, and an Ellen Schapiro and Gerald Axelbaum Investigator BBRF Young Investigator Grant.

[jrueships]

older white men who have to announce how much they prefer college sports over professional sports & obsess over it kinda creep me out idk

[waragainstapathy]

cognitive dissonance

we all know what happened

when Germany voted

for one who had promised them

life so ideal

so how can it be

today when we see

all the warning signs

some will say

"that can't be real"

you've chosen the enemy

like it or not

unless it was rigged

the winning votes bought

you still don't agree?

wait and you'll see

but I fear we are doomed

to repeat history

[isawthismeme]