[How About This Book] Is Human Change More Influenced by Brain Structure Than 'Free Will'?

Good and Evil · Altruism Reasoned by Neuroscience
Explained through 'Mirror Neurons'
Approaching Conversion from a Neuroscientific Perspective
Arguing It Is Due to Physical Changes in the Brain

Writer Yoo Si-min refers to himself as a "liberal arts man who writes." He calls himself a "fated liberal arts student" because he was bad at math. "I memorized all the problem types and solution processes in every math reference book during my school days," he confesses. Naturally, he also stayed away from science, which is based on math. Although he has written extensively across fields such as history, economics, politics, reading, travel, and writing, he admits that all his work has been confined to the humanities. Yet, he picked up a science book. He felt uneasy thinking that without learning science, one cannot be truly called a cultured person. From the science book he read somewhat haphazardly, he experienced thrilling intellectual stimulation and warm emotion rarely felt in the humanities. This was the very reason he wrote this book.

He cautions against viewing the book as a popular science book. "I do not have the ability to explain important scientific facts and theories easily and accurately. I simply selected facts that interested me, theories that gave me intellectual stimulation and emotional impact, and information that corrected my thoughts about humans, society, and history, adding my own interpretation," he said. He asked readers to accept it merely as "humanities chatter using science as material."

In this book, Yoo tries to prove debates unresolved in the humanities or issues lacking clear evidence through neuroscience, biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. For example, he uses neuroscience to explain the reasons for human good and evil, and altruism.

He argues that human nature, which "humanists have debated for a long time without reaching any consensus," can be explained by neuroscience's "mirror neurons." The basis is a 1992 study by researchers at the University of Parma in Italy, which found that some neurons in the cerebral cortex that activate when performing a certain action also fire just by observing others performing the same action. He wrote, "(Mirror neurons) provide the foundation for empathy and moral motivation, encouraging acts of feeling, caring for, and alleviating others' pain." "Human nature cannot be said to be good. But it also has a 'good nature.' (...) We confirmed that our brain harbors a nature that makes us perform not only selfish behaviors but also altruistic acts."

Yoo explains the major change in his values and way of life, a "conversion," from a neuroscientific perspective. The key point is that a person's change is more influenced by brain composition than by "free will." He mentions journalists and intellectuals who once criticized dictatorship but later praised it, and labor activists who were "legends" but rose to high public office while criticizing colleagues, saying, "Unlike in the past, I no longer view conversion negatively." "When people around me changed, I hated them more than those who were originally greedy for power and money, trampling others and cheating. Now I think differently. I don't particularly hate them. (...) It is more likely due to physical changes in the brain or hormonal imbalances than choices made by free will."

He approaches kin altruism biologically. Why do humans take care of family even at a loss? He explains this based on British biologist Hamilton's "inclusive fitness" theory. According to the theory, worker ants give up their own reproduction to help the queen ant's birth and nurturing. Yoo conveys the interpretation that "by performing kin altruistic behavior, the unique gene set of the family has a higher chance of survival than if the worker ant found a mate and had offspring directly." It is a story that instinctive behavior, arising from genetic chance, induces sacrifice to increase the survival probability of the family's gene set. Based on this, he explains, "Children carry half of their parents' genes. No organism in the world carries as many of its own genes as its children do," adding, "This is the biological and genetic basis of the consciousness and emotion called familialism or kinship awareness."

Then how can altruism toward non-kin, which involves sacrifice for others, be explained? Yoo mentions "side effects." "The brain is a machine that genes combined for survival," he says, but also argues, "Because of the belief that altruism makes one's existence noble and beautiful, altruistic behavior is performed even toward non-kin others." Using human belief in God as an example, he emphasizes, "Homo sapiens believe in things that do not exist materially, and sometimes risk their lives to express such beliefs. Altruism may be one of those things." He confessed that he wrote this book from the thought that "knowing you were a 'fool' and escaping being a 'fool' is better than living not knowing you are a 'fool'." He also worried about possible errors in the book's content. "Please kindly view the reckless challenge of a liberal arts man who barely escaped being a fool."

Science Study of a Liberal Arts Man | Written by Yoo Si-min | Dolbegae | 304 pages | 17,500 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.