Can a molecule make us moral?

[Tenet Nosce]

An interesting concept on how oxytocin affects morality and ethical behavior. BTW... the simplest way to get one's oxytocin levels up is by light touch.

Here is the article on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/27/opinion/za...index.html

About a decade ago, my lab made an unexpected breakthrough in the understanding of good and evil. We discovered that the neurochemical oxytocin makes people trustworthy. We then found oxytocin was responsible for many other moral behaviors, from being generous to sacrificing to help a stranger.

Wait -- morality is chemical? In my TED talk, I describe how I made the unlikely discovery of the moral molecule, how I was roundly discouraged from even looking for such a chemical, and what drove me to persist in my search.

Curious. I wonder why he would have been "roundly discouraged" to further explore this line of research.

And a link to the video on TED.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/paul_za...tocin.html

[Plenum]

as a tangent to this, there is also DMT, so called the 'Spirit Molecule'.




This stuff is produced by the body, and can lead to all sorts of experiences normally classified as 'paranormal'.

much like oxytocin, it produces 'results' that are consistent with what most people would associate with years of spiritual practice.

but I think we shouldn't confuse the cause and the effect here. Changes in consciousness ALWAYS precede physical changes; and when the choice has been made in consciousness to do this or that, then the body follows with the appropriate biochemical response to make the Physical representative of he Metaphysical.

so we can manufacture this stuff, use it in shamanic practice, but the effects will only be temporary. When one has won the 'spiritual war' with oneself, then these chemicals gush like an oil well all by themselves.

it does make for great scientific experiments though

image: the spinning DMT


btw oxytocin is also known as the "cuddle chemical' or "love hormone" that is responsible for a mother bonding to her newborn, or that romantic feeling between couples.

thanks Tenet for making me think about this stuff again It's been a while!

[BrownEye]

"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," Dr. Liane Young, the study's lead researcher, told the British Broadcasting Corporation. "To be able to apply a magnetic field to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/2010022..._sys.shtml

So the magnetic field of the earth can change.... our morals?

The right brain, "righteous" way of thinking. The side we tend to hold a cell phone up to, disrupting the magnetic field "moral compass" of the brain. The symbolic left eye in media is a way to say "pay attention, wake up!". The left side of the body that corresponds to the spiritual right brain.

Left brained tend to function better with right side, right handed, better vision in right eye. The materialistic animal man.

"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29-30.



"Light touch" sounds like the Quantum Touch stuff I was just looking at. I had intuited the ability to remove pain or fear from my children with a touch of my finger. Now I am looking for more background on what is taking place.

[Oceania]

it's not a molecule, it's the god essence in all of us.

[Unbound]

Very interesting stuff here!

I would not necessarily dissuade from the idea of such an essence having an equivalent physical representation. Although it speaks to me more as Christic energy rather than direct "God Essence". IMO

[Oceania]

i didn't say it didn't have a physical counterpart.