Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics (EJAIB) Vol 13 (5) September 2003
ISSN 1173-2571, Copyright 2003 (All rights reserved, for commercial
reproductions but access open for personal use).
Eubios Ethics Institute 31 Colwyn Street, Christchurch
8005, New Zealand
P.O. Box 125, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki 305-8691, Japan
Official
Journal of the Asian Bioethics Association (ABA) and
IUBS Bioethics Program
World Wide Web
site: http://eubios.info/index.html
pp. 194-202 Go to EJAIB September 2003 News
Topical list of News in Bioethics and Biotechnology
List is complete since 1991 in over 30 topics. News from 1991-1993 are in the
OLD news files, and from 1994 in the NEW files.
Page, and titles of papers
161-2 Editorial: Bioethics dialogue in public -Darryl Macer
162-6 Let's Never Stop Bashing Inhumanity - Jing-Bao Nie
166-7 Let's Deal with the Issue: Commentary on Leavitt - Michael Thomas
167-8 Reply to Leavitt's Commentary "Let's Stop Bashing Japan" - Takashi Tsuchiya
168 Commentary: Bash Evil in Every Generation, But Don't
Bash Innocent Children and Grandchildren - Frank J. Leavitt
168-175 Medicality: The fifth bioethical principle of medical ethics
for the internal morality of medicine - Y. Michael Barilan
175-6 A discussion on the perspectives of Suicide related
Information on the Internet - Vinod Scaria
176-9 The moral status of patients in Greece - Filimon Peonidis
179-81 Globalisation and Environmental Health - A.Joseph Thatheyus and J. Delphine Prema Dhanaseeli
181-3 Strategies against the Threat to Rural Poor - A.Maria Alphonsal and J. Delphine Prema Dhanaseel
183-186 Children Rights and a Sample Study on Accidents in Children
Groups Aged 0-5 Years Old in the Light of ParentsŐ Responsibilty in Turkey - Omr Elcioglu, Sahin Aksoy, Tarők Gndz
186-9 Attitude of health care professionals in clinical care of
children in Japan - Ichiro Matsuda and Shoju Onishi
189-191 Review: Blood And Guts: A Short History Of Medicine - Haim Marantz
191-194 Human Interference in the Affairs of God - M.N. Jha and S.K. Misra
Human Behaviourome Project 202
There is a very active discussion on the Internet listserve. All Emails are open for viewing at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/behaviourome
Contact: Darryl Macer.
Response to: CRACKING THE HUMAN BEHAVIOROME
Printed in the March 2003 issue of Discover Magazine by
Darryl Macer:
Human beings are "programmed" externally from the time they
come out of the womb with their "personal neural net" (PNN). This programming takes place through
the formation of language, thought and emotional structures that form the basis
of individuals beliefs; which in turn form the basis for their interactions
with their external world.
Emotions, as well as thought, are driven and impeded by PNN
and form a "patterned memory response" (PMR) that mediates physical and
emotional behavior. PMR is made up
of two parallel interactive system, "ritualized thinking process" (RTP) and
"ritualized emotional process" (REP).
These processes are "triggered" by external or internal stimuli setting
PMR into action.
What Jung called cultural archetypes we could refer to as
"cultural neural nets" (CNN).
Which is the driving force for the formation of Personal Neural
Nets. The interplay between the
forming PNN and the powerful impinging CNN determine the thoughts and beliefs
that young minds absorb into their PNN.
As a psychotherapist, the most challenging aspect of helping
people change is the PNN that drives them when they come into my office. The most powerful tool I have is to
help them form new language (including the substitution of words) in order for
them to adapt new emotional and physical behaviors. All of this is ultimately dependent on their adopting new
thinking and therefore new beliefs about themselves and the world they interact
with.
Sorry, for the long lead in to my comments about your
project of Human Behaviorome (BNA), but, as I started to respond I realized I
needed to give you some idea of the thinking behind my comments.
While there may indeed be 50 some views when presented with
moral dilemmas, and what you are contemplating doing regarding the
quantification of the human BNA is interesting, I have some concerns. What further restrictions will this
place on young minds (that are exposed to BNA) that will impede the vast
creativity of the human mind?
I am mindful of Einstein's comment that he tries not to
remember anything he can look up.
I am mindful of other brilliant thinkers who make the same kinds of
claims, namely, that the foundation of new thinking is to always look at a
problem (as much as possible) with new eyes, without the restrictions of
previous thinking, as though faced with the problem for the first time without
any forethought.
Physicians refer to the placebo effect, which is important
in all remediation of disease.
Even those diseases for which we have known effective "cures." This placebo effect is fundamentally
important and more often than not is the basis for ultimate healing.
In working with people who have had physical disease assail
them, their "state of mind" becomes the determining factor on whether they
approach their healing with the best opportunity for a positive outcome.
In today's world we are continually assailed with the
restrictions for good health and long life by the knowledge that human DNA has
been mapped and there are structures in our own bodies that determine the
outcome of a healthy or unhealthy life.
This further imposition is terribly potent for the person dealing with
illness. People who have survived
"against all odds" usually report that the key to their survival was something
like, "I was determined that I would live, and I did." Often these outcomes are referred to as
"spontaneous remission" by physicians, but the people say, "there was nothing
spontaneous about it, it was a lot of hard work, and I had to overcome the
beliefs I had about illness and disease."
Some people I have seen simply say, "they told me I have a genetic
predisposition to...," and die, and some die in spite of their efforts.
So, I wonder what the effect of BNA will be on the ultimate
expansion or contraction of the human imagination and it's ability to come up
with the new ideas that are necessary for the furtherance of human
consciousness and ultimately behavior.
God knows we need imaginative thinking if we are ever going to live in a
world that is beneficial to all who live on this planet.
Again, please excuse the lengthy nature of this response to
the small tidbit I read in the March issue of Discovery (I'm always 4 or 5
months behind in my reading of that great magazine). But, as you can see it touched off a lot of thinking. Which is a good thing. So, perhaps my concerns are baseless
and what you are proposing to do will also be a good thing.
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, I took
seriously the ending sentence in the article, "Macer invites the public's
input."
Bruce F. Whizin,
4458 Matilija Ave, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, USA
Email: bwhizin@qwest.net
ABA Membership, IAB Genetics Network, Conferences, EJAIB editorial board 203-4
ABA Membership
Persons who want to confirm their membership of the ABA must send their completed membership form and fees to the secretary if your name does not appear in the list below, Darryl Macer, (by Email, fax or airmail).
Paid up members of ABA for 2003 (new from last issue):
Nageen Ainuddin
Email: nainuddin61@yahoo.com
Mr. Dipankar Saha
Agriculture Research Service
Scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Department of Agriculture
Research and Education,
Minstry of Agriculture, India.
Email: aqdip@ejobs.every1.net
Rosemarie Tong, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor in Health
Care Ethics
Director, Center for Professional
and Applied Ethics
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 USA
Email: rotong@email.uncc.edu
IAB Genetics
& Bioethics Network: On-line The complete address list is updated on the
Internet. Send all changes to Darryl Macer. Membership of the network is not
restricted to members of IAB, but open to all. Those persons who are not paying
subscription to EJAIB, or granted a
waiver, however, will not receive EJAIB, the official journal of the IAB Genetics Network.
Recent changes include:
Cristina Gavrilovici, MD, MA (bioethics)
2650 University Blvd. #104
Shaker Hts. OH 44118, USA
Email: cxg61@po.cwru.edu
Ethical aspects of cloning, especially embryo research, stem
cell research.
Eduardo A. Rueda B. M.D.
Instituto de Bioetica, Universidad
Javeriana
Transv. 4ta. # 42-00 Piso Quinto.
Bogota, Colombia.
Email: erueda@javeriana.edu.co
Genetic testing, screening,
eugenics, GMOs in developing countries.
The deadline for letter submission (and news) to the next issue is 16 October, 2003.
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