Thoughts on Psychology

[emessar]

I wound up getting into a conversation about psychology in regards to this article. One of the other people didn't like the fact that it made it seem like ...

"women seem completely unable to use their BRAIN to make the decisions and instead we are completely subject to our hormones and primitive inclinations."

I sort of defended psychology with a

Comments

[anonymous]

What the brain over body dichotomy argument misses is that the brain doesn't exist without the body and the influences of the body's wants and needs. That we can pretend that as a whole we were not shaped by millions of years of evolution to do certain things is silly. Sure you can decide to follow impulses or not follow them, but in my experience it is more likely that people will use their brains to fabricate elaborate excuses for following such impulses that have nothing to do with reality or rationality.

Besides, since when were such things as attraction, love and lust considered cerebral exercises?

Carl

Evolution

[anonymous]

I just got done reading a book called Evolution RX which touches on some of this. The author, William Meller, had a couple of pretty good interviews on the Skepticality podcast recently.

We have built entire cultures and religions that seem to exist for no other reason than to suppress our natural impulses, often for very little benefit. Not that I advocate anarchy or total hedonism, but my I've moved a long way from my previous prudish views of the world.

Nice Analogy

[anonymous]

I really like the example of traffic jams. I've always been skeptical of psychology, feeling that often it is used as a crutch or justification for weakness or failure. Yet for all that I may argue, I have plenty of my own weakness and failures.

Even if through my own actions I can overcome or avoid them, they still exist and the application of scientific study to the reasons behind our actions would seem to be a sensible course of action.