deterministic world

People given diagnoses of “antisocial personality disorder” or “psychopathy” show signs of morality blindness from the time they are children. They bully younger children, torture animals, habitually lie and seem incapable of empathy or remorse, often despite normal family backgrounds. Some of these children grow up into the monsters who bilk elderly people out of their savings, rape a succession of women or shoot convenience-store clerks lying on the floor during a robbery. 

from:
http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/The%20Moral%20Instinct%20-%20New%20York%20Times.htm


Genes which determine behaviour is very scary to me.
I know they do, you can breed in friendliness and viciousness or cunningness in dogs - Its not about upbringing its very obviously about genes.
but that makes things very deterministic. Are genes that deterministic? they are not - we dont know much about genes, we know far less than we think we do. and We( the common people) have been fed a very very simplistic version of genetics.
so when someone says there is a gene for smartness and dumbness or gene for paedophilia Lets not go there! thats too complicated.  gene for being a socio-path. If a day comes when someone tests me for my genes to determine if I m smart or not? that would be a very sad day for mankind.
Even statistic is like that, can I deny the truth of it. like women have lower insurance rates then men because they cause fewer car accident! ( YES ASSHOLES! Women ARE BETTER DRIVERS) but I m uncomfortable with applying the statistic to an actual person. I feel it is morally wrong to do it. gene would be far worse thing.
because it makes something deterministic. Its almost like it takes away free will?(?) I m all for studying our brain/genes etc and how it affects behaviour, but I believe that there is far more to us than that. studying each of these areas in their isolation and making deterministic conclusions is wrong. same with disease genes.
I m definitely against capitalistic application of all this science. Like being against nuclear bombs is very different from being against particle physics?

Why dont I have a problem with a weather forecast which says there is 90% probability that it will rain today or that tsunami is going to come. but I have a problem with a prediction that if u have BRACC gene u will get breast cancer? Is it just a matter of time before the gene people start getting it right? then what Ms deeps?  are u only afraid of a immature technology?

I cant pinpoint exactly what is wrong but something is..  may be I am too right brained to like a world where everything is known and fixed and safe and there is no mystery and magic or something?
[Oh BTW magic reminds me - they are making fairy dolls which have a motor and which hover in air!!! Oh god! if we have every kind of toy will there be any scope of imagination at all. I was really disappointed by the idea of that doll! ]

reasoning

An article by Jonathan Haidt, Or rather a blog makes very good points about how we argue or discuss things.
http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10

"we reason quite well when we want to find the right answer like for example is it better to drive or take the train, but when emotions get involved we reason to prove ourselves right" like the reasoning of a lawyer trying to win a case he says :)

That is sooo true!!!
When reading a discussion about GM crops, I asked myself, Am I ready to find the right answer or Am I already convinced that GM companies are evil and are raping mother nature? Answer, not surprisingly, is I am emotional about the issue and I will read only those arguments which support my view and laugh at or get outraged by arguments which oppose my view.
Discussion about Gay rights- Is there any possibility that any argument in those forums will be able to convince me that being gay is wrong? hmmm I dont think so! It may be socially great attitude but its not scientific...( understand why some people think being gay is wrong...you dont have to buy into their argument .you can just start seeing why they think the way they think. Start seeing their mental blocks. This will help me to not get outraged? This is easier said than done! )

Reason mostly is slave to emotions. may be asking this question - Am I really ready to find the truth or Do I want to prove myself right ?  may help us open up and use the actual reason which may allow us to find the right answer?

hota hai yaar!
Galti se mistake ho jata hai! bade bodon se ho jata hai!
rone ko dhone ka, phir kuch deer mein uth ke aage bad ne ka!  bus!

What is natural?

Being gay - is un-natural so we should ban it
people use these arguments to justify their own form of diet
- humans being didnt eat meat naturally  we dont have teeth stomach etc for meat
- human being ates meat naturally, we were hunter gatherers.
It is natural for men to be promiscuous! To justify cheating men.

So? Rape is natural. Birth control is not.
Disease is natural, Medicine is not!

Something being natural is neither a pro or con for any behaviour, finding what is natural  just helps us understand ourselves better. Thats all.  Especially in the domain of ethics.

I think it is very important to know what is natural, but to only to help us understand.
some things may be natural and  we continue to do it that way
something may natural but will definitely be a no-no.

Diet wise, its important to know what is our natural diet and stick to it may be,
but If you are a moral vegetarian -you think killing animals is wrong, what does it matter if 100,000 years ago humans ate veg or meat?

That aside, I find evolution and psychology really fascinating, both sciences mostly used to find what is natural. I m very curious to know what is natural. Why things are the way they are! How were things before, did we always think and feel like this? What is behind our thin veil of rationality? Gives us different perspective and may be open up our minds.
what do you think?

Random

what is living?
In old days entertainment was a break from life. now life is a break from entertainment....
Watching TV and pausing it to get my food to eat in front of TV... break from entertainment for living.

This was a wrong thought to think just before sleeping,
I must have spent hours and hours, half asleep half awake, thinking which moment in that day counted as "life".  rewind rewind rewind the whole day - so what is this life then?   painting, yoga, gardening, cooking, eating,FB time, coursera, call home, furniture rearranging. thoroughly enjoyable self development learning etc  but was it life or break from life?

What is living what moments of my life count as living?

When do we help people by telling them things and when are we being stupid by assuming other people dont know anything when they probably know more than us.
When I say stupid people follow tradition, give mandatory gift etc... I m probably doing the same? they probably know thiigs I dont, how to maintain relationships etc and I m being a fool?
(Things should change may be - but One way it is not gonna happen is by calling other people - bad names.)
This requires us to understand and be more tuned into people -better??
or better tuned to ourself? Am I giving gyan to help or to show that I know better? is it a ego deal or a genuine concern?
sometimes ego is hidden behind genuine concern?

Is this also Empathy? the other side?
Empathy is what causes irritation in us when we see someone wearing uncomfortable clothes or have piercings. Empthay makes us feel like we ourselves have that piercing and we feel that pain/discomfort.
embarrassment! especially we feel embarrassed for others
empathy BTW is our reaction to their situation, may not be in tune with what they are feeling in their situation?