Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human by Guy LeschzinerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
An interesting exploration of the intersection between free-will and brain function/injury with respect to moral decision and the social conventions/limits governed by such. Organized into a chapter for each of the “standard” cardinal sins, the author introduces a medical case study that seems to highlight how the brain controls our ability to conform or not to the social prohibition defined by each sin … and, although it is a strength for some examples, does highlight the contributions made by trauma or injury to various regions of the brain. The author provides remarkable insights from his own medical practice along with some supporting research for each of his points … which was interesting from a scientific point of view, but generally much less helpful from a theological point of view. Still, the material was clear and well organized, making it an easy and accessible read.
The chapters and sections in this work are …
Introduction
1. Wrath
2. Gluttony
3. Lust
4. Envy
5. Sloth
6. Greed
7. Pride
8. Free Will
Glossary
Some of the other points that really got my attention (regardless of whether or not I agreed with them) are:
These Jewish principles were formalised by the Desert Fathers, early Christian hermit monks residing in the Scetes desert of Egypt, in the fourth century, and were listed as eight sins. It was Pope Gregory I in 590 CE who revised the deadly sins into the more familiar Seven Deadly Sins format–lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
For all of us, these ‘sinful’ character traits are perhaps less of a moral issue and more of a biological one, raising questions of responsibility, blame and free will in the face of sin. It is only at their extremes that they give rise to untethered human suffering, pain and tragedy.
Amongst our negative emotions, anger is unusual. Unlikely sadness, fear and disgust, which lead us away from the provocation, anger drives us towards it. To confront, to fight.
Through Gage, and others like him, it became obvious that the frontal lobes have a role in regulating and inhibiting behaviour, including impulsivity, anger, and other basic instincts. And, as we will see, in sexual behaviour too.
Neuroscience is therefore gradually exposing the links between childhood neglect and abuse, our genes, and our brain structure and function in those individuals with BPD. Even beyond those with a formal diagnosis of a personality disorder, however, aggressive people also exhibit differences in these brain areas.
By now, it should be apparent that there are many factors present from birth that influence our appetite and our weight, like the genes we are born with, the microbes we acquire as we enter the world, and who we surround ourselves with.
In all three of these soldiers’ cases, damage to their brains had somehow impaired their ability to control their sexual impulses, either in word or deed–demonstrating the presence of neurological mechanisms for restraining ‘lust’.
Since past behaviour is often a predictor of future behaviour, and having a large number of sex partners prior to marriage is a predictor in infidelity in marriage, men tend to evaluate past sexual activity in a prospective partner prior to commitment.
At its core, envy can be defined loosely as the desire of, or the wish to see someone deprived of superior qualities, possessions or achievements that someone else has. ... From a psychological perspective, jealousy involves the threat of someone taking something or someone away from you…
The hallmarks of this personality trait when extreme, as in NPD, result in a sense of being special: an entitlement, feelings of self-importance to the point of grandiosity, preoccupations of brilliance or success, and excessive arrogance. These features are accompanied by a lack of empathy, the tendency to exploit others to achieve their own ends, and attention-seeking behaviour.
Various dictionaries, however, define sloth rather more precisely. These definitions centre on inactivity, akin to these sickness behaviours rather than sleep, on a disinclination to act, to exert oneself or to work. A lack of effort, an idleness or indolence, an inability to generate action. Sloth is the lack of motivation.
In the neurological world, this syndrome is usually referred to as apathy*–diminished motivation to engage in physical, cognitive or emotional activity–and is seen in many common neurological disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s, as well as other rarer conditions.
Search the medical databases for ‘greed’ or ‘avarice’ and ‘neurology’ or ‘psychiatry’, and there is almost nothing to find. Greed eludes our medical lexicon in a way that the other ‘sins’ do not.
In contrast to these evolutionary aspects, greed’s economic benefits are actually very clear. In laboratory tasks, greed has been shown to be associated with trying to use time productively, to reach goals and make progress, to work harder and earn more money.
Greed hinders so-called prosocial behaviours: sharing, donating, comforting, volunteering, and other acts that benefit society. The greedy may have diminished empathic concern–the ability to sympathise with other people–resulting in an impairment of prosocial acts.
It is widely considered that the success and happiness of our children is dependent on their self-esteem, and that we as parents play a crucial part in building it. Children of this new way of parenting seem to benefit.
People with NPD often demonstrate extremely good cognitive empathy–the capability to figure out someone else’s emotions and motivations. … In contrast, people with NPD show little emotional empathy–feeling the emotions of others, rather than simply knowing them.
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