I think that every great theologian must propose an idea that is so stupid that all opponents can dismiss her out of hand as a quack.\u00a0 St. Augustine had an entire suite of such proposals.\u00a0 The one that caught Zimmerman\u2019s fancy was the idea that \u2013 before the Fall \u2013 Adam and Eve had motor control over their \u2013 later uncontrollable \u2013 members.<\/p>\n
Chapter 10 is devoted to proofs of quackery.<\/p>\n
First, St. Thomas quoted Aristotle on the relation between the reason and \u201cthe irascible and concupiscible\u201d.\u00a0 The latter was governed by reason, but could not be commanded by reason.<\/p>\n
Next, modern neuroscientists have offered the concept of a triune brain to describe human cognition.\u00a0 The brain is a nested organ: neocortex(midbrain or limbic system(basal ganglia or brainstem)).\u00a0 Or, one can call it human(mammalian(reptilian)).\u00a0 Our cognition is similarly nested: reason(emotions and concupiscence(maintenance of consciousness, physical performance and mood).\u00a0 Our brain structure rules out the direct command of performance (brainstem activity) by reason (neocortex activity).<\/p>\n
After these and other proofs of Augustine\u2019s quackery, Zimmerman turned the question around and wrote about how behavior modifies neural connections.\u00a0 Suddenly, St. Augustine makes sense, since we are back into his themes of a sense of invulnerability, wayward members, shamelessness and pride.\u00a0 These are the consequences of behaviors modifying neural connections.<\/p>\n
How do we get to those behaviors?\u00a0 We get there through the non-Augustine images of naivet\u00e9, concupiscence, law, and addiction.<\/p>\n
There seems to be a pattern here.\u00a0 What does that imply?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I think that every great theologian must propose an idea that is so stupid that all opponents can dismiss her out of hand as a quack.\u00a0 St. Augustine had an entire suite of such proposals.\u00a0 The one that caught Zimmerman\u2019s fancy was the idea that \u2013 before the Fall \u2013 Adam and Eve had motor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-science-of-original-sin"],"yoast_head":"\n