BIOL 350 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Terror Management Theory, Mortal Thoughts, Scientific American
12 Nov 2016
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Genes seem to hold culture on a leash but a long one. Mind a mysterious form of matter secreted by the brain. Its chief activity consists in the endeavor to ascertain its own nature, the futility of the attempt being due to the fact that is has (cid:374)othi(cid:374)g (cid:271)ut itself to k(cid:374)o(cid:449) itself (cid:449)ith. We a(cid:396)e (cid:271)iased to ou(cid:396) o(cid:449)(cid:374) (cid:373)i(cid:374)ds so pe(cid:396)haps (cid:449)e dou(cid:271)t our own minds because of this bias. So we may not really be particularly objective in ascertaining our own nature, and it should not be surprising therefore to find that we are easily distracted and easily deluded. It means to know that one is food for worms. This is the terror: we have emerged from nothing, to have a name, consciousness of self, deep inner feelings and excruciating self yearning for life and self expression and we know we have to die.
