Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
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Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
On the surface there are differences, but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulse driven from the basement of the brain.
I understand sex and religion do involve all parts of the brain but I am more interested in the fundamentals not the forms.
Note the major part of the brain below.
I believe the sexual drive is driven fundamentally from the brain stem [reptillian] and the religious drive is much deeper within the brain stem.
While the extreme of the sexual lust end up with mass rapes, the extreme of religious lust end up with mass murders [Jim Jones, etc.] and genocides [Armenian, Yazidis, etc.].
Comments?
Note: I understand politics and other ideologies are also very fundamental and bad, but to topic we are only dealing and referring to religion in this thread.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Sexual lust is fairly easy to define physiologically, even given the wide range of individuals and the differences between the sexes. This description would cover a specific period of time in an individual's day and what happens physically and experientially. Religious lust would need to be defined similarly. It would need to be justified why it should be called lust, which will be tough, I would guess, given it not having many common features physiologically, except perhaps in tantric traditions. And since being religious is a broad set of practices and attitudes, rather than a really quite specific state when one is sexually aroused, you'd have to pick a specific portion of being religious to stand in and the compare physiological states and internal experiences.
You don't get to just say it all comes from the reptile brain. That is just silly. You might want to look into how much the mammalian brain and other non-reptile parts of the brain have fundamental roles in human sexuality and even set things going. But since you have judgments of the limbic system you can no doubt just readjust your argument, now carrying over your issues with that portion of the brain. This will also fit well with Buddhist aversion to all but certain portions of the neocortex.
Well, then we could include, work, politics, romance, sports......Since in the fundamentals these all have to do with survival and competing for resources and procreation and rivalry, so really they are all reptile brain things and lust and therefore bad. Please.On the surface there are differences, but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulse driven from the basement of the brain.
I understand sex and religion do involve all parts of the brain but I am more interested in the fundamentals not the forms.
Extreme lust, when I experience it leads to passionate sex. If you think that the reptile brain can lead to systematic rape you are confused. You must engage the neocortex and lead with it for such things. In the Balkan wars, you had to have complicated racial and group-based biases that were spread using arguments and propaganda to dehumanize people, create in-group idenfitication to override natural empathetic responses to people, who often had lived side by side and been friends.While the extreme of the sexual lust end up with mass rapes, the extreme of religious lust end up with mass murders [Jim Jones, etc.] and genocides [Armenian, Yazidis, etc.].
Just as here we have a person with a strong distaste. I could say this distaste is coming from his reptile brain, though I know it is a more complicated mix of his neo-cortex, limbic system and yes, reptile brain also. Since he had a goal of dominating certain ideas, he lunges in extreme but not well organized argument in attack mode. The argument makes little sense because of the not well integrated emotions, given his own judgments and distaste for emotions. He does not want to notice how much the limbic system is involved, so it will see logical to him, when in fact he his making little sense. In extreme forms, you get a Sam Harris, who can actually create propaganda that suggests the moralist of preemtive torture of some people for beliefs. He was so swayed by his not well integrated limbic system that he denied he meant what was clear in his own texts. Here, so far, we just have a not logical at all slap dab criticism of sexuality and religion, by someone with a distaste for large portions of the human brain. Given the cut off from much of his own brain, he does not realize how much his cut off emotions and power urges are affecting his 'arguments.'
I mean, seriously, this kind of pseudoscience 'rationality' vs. religion type stuff is truly offensive.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Where did I state it ALL comes from the 'reptillian' brain?Karpel Tunnel wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 2:10 amSexual lust is fairly easy to define physiologically, even given the wide range of individuals and the differences between the sexes. This description would cover a specific period of time in an individual's day and what happens physically and experientially. Religious lust would need to be defined similarly. It would need to be justified why it should be called lust, which will be tough, I would guess, given it not having many common features physiologically, except perhaps in tantric traditions. And since being religious is a broad set of practices and attitudes, rather than a really quite specific state when one is sexually aroused, you'd have to pick a specific portion of being religious to stand in and the compare physiological states and internal experiences.
You don't get to just say it all comes from the reptile brain. That is just silly. You might want to look into how much the mammalian brain and other non-reptile parts of the brain have fundamental roles in human sexuality and even set things going. But since you have judgments of the limbic system you can no doubt just readjust your argument, now carrying over your issues with that portion of the brain. This will also fit well with Buddhist aversion to all but certain portions of the neocortex.
My intention is to trace sex and religion to their respective ultimate and proximate roots.
Analogy:
If there is a serious pollution is detected within a river system, what is most critical before starting to solve the problem is one must be fully aware of the distribution of the river system from its sources to the river mouth. With this knowledge of the complete system, the problem can be completely covered for finding the source of the cause[s].
Your diversion to and focus on the secondary causes i.e. limbic [mammalian] and the cortical areas of the brain can be misleading and not effective when dealing with problems arising from sex and religions.
Now that I have read Heidegger, the most fundamental source of human motivations is;
- 1. 'being' [sein] then
2. survival - existential -religious
3. Primal instincts - procreation -sex
4. basic instincts - brain stem -reptilian
5. limbic - mammalian
6. Cortical - neocortex - primates, humans
The limbic and cortical impulses are not fundamentals but they merely inhibit, trigger to modulate and modify the fundamental impulses.
My point here is the sexual impulse is the same with the religious impulse at the level of primal instincts but the fundamental source of religiosity is must deeper at the existential level.
What is critical is when discussing religion, people must be aware of these structure of the specific levels of how religious activities are linked to their fundamental sources.
What is Lust?
"Lust is a craving, it can take any form such as the lust for sexuality, lust for money or the lust for power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food as distinct from the need for food.
Lust is a psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lust
In this OP I am more focused on the subconscious [90%] than the conscious [10%] manifestation of lusts. In addition this discussion is on the negative consequences of lust not so much on the positive results.
Yes, every human activity is covered by the ultimate fundamental root but this OP is comparing sex and religion. But note this OP is related to only sex and religion.Well, then we could include, work, politics, romance, sports......Since in the fundamentals these all have to do with survival and competing for resources and procreation and rivalry, so really they are all reptile brain things and lust and therefore bad. Please.On the surface there are differences, but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulse driven from the basement of the brain.
I understand sex and religion do involve all parts of the brain but I am more interested in the fundamentals not the forms.
I did not state reptillian brain = [directly] systematic rape.Extreme lust, when I experience it leads to passionate sex. If you think that the reptile brain can lead to systematic rape you are confused. You must engage the neocortex and lead with it for such things. In the Balkan wars, you had to have complicated racial and group-based biases that were spread using arguments and propaganda to dehumanize people, create in-group idenfitication to override natural empathetic responses to people, who often had lived side by side and been friends.While the extreme of the sexual lust end up with mass rapes, the extreme of religious lust end up with mass murders [Jim Jones, etc.] and genocides [Armenian, Yazidis, etc.].
My point is all the evil acts of related to sex and religion can and should always be traced within its neural mazes to their fundamental roots.
I believe 'personal attacks' directly or indirectly as above is more likely to be due to reptillian [existential] impulses that slipped through unmodulated. Try walking near to a rattle-snake and feel the spontaneous instinctual fangs.Just as here we have a person with a strong distaste. I could say this distaste is coming from his reptile brain, though I know it is a more complicated mix of his neo-cortex, limbic system and yes, reptile brain also. Since he had a goal of dominating certain ideas, he lunges in extreme but not well organized argument in attack mode. The argument makes little sense because of the not well integrated emotions, given his own judgments and distaste for emotions. He does not want to notice how much the limbic system is involved, so it will see logical to him, when in fact he his making little sense. In extreme forms, you get a Sam Harris, who can actually create propaganda that suggests the moralist of preemtive torture of some people for beliefs. He was so swayed by his not well integrated limbic system that he denied he meant what was clear in his own texts. Here, so far, we just have a not logical at all slap dab criticism of sexuality and religion, by someone with a distaste for large portions of the human brain. Given the cut off from much of his own brain, he does not realize how much his cut off emotions and power urges are affecting his 'arguments.'
I mean, seriously, this kind of pseudoscience 'rationality' vs. religion type stuff is truly offensive.
I am very mindful of my actions and direction which is [whether I like it or not, fortunately or unfortunately] is driven significantly by my mirror neurons, wisdom and rational brain.
As I had stated many times my current disposition on topic of religion is driven by real threats from empirical data and reflective thinking on the stats below and many of the likes, e.g.
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/TROP.jpg
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
There is as many definition of 'Philosophy' as the number of people who attempt to define it. Thus philosophy can be related to the reptillian or neo-cortex [logic, reason, abstract thinking].Karpel Tunnel wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2018, 3:19 am Then we can look at philosophy as, fundamentally, being about the reptile brain, that 'really' we are trying to justify things that we think have to do with our survival, identity and so on. And in its extreme form philosophy leads to Naziism or anti-natalism or transhumanism or......fill in the blank...where the hatred of human life comes to the fore. This kind of reductionism can seem to make every human activity look fundamentally the reptile brains. Then we call it lust, for some reason, and then can conclude that yes, philosophy, is really just two Komodo Dragons fighting over some dung.
- 1. 'being' [sein] then
2. survival - existential -religious
3. Primal instincts - procreation -sex
4. basic instincts - brain stem -reptilian
5. limbic - mammalian
6. Cortical - neocortex - primates, humans
Without the animal passion of the limbic [modulated] no one will continue to do philosophy-proper.
One critical point with philosophy-proper is, it is always by default a net-positive until humans are extinct.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Deeper in the brain stem? What, in the spinal cord?I believe the sexual drive is driven fundamentally from the brain stem [reptillian] and the religious drive is much deeper within the brain stem.
Obviously, reptiles have sexual drive. But then, so do insects. I'm not at all sure that spiders and lizards experience the urge to reproduce in a way very similar to the experience of an adolescent human male with his underwear catalogue. However, we can be fairly certain that potato bugs and turtles do not practice any religious ceremonies.
Going to more complex brain structures, a mourning dove and a harp seal, a llama and lynx, an elephant and a baboon all both have strong sex drives. At what point that urge becomes human-like lust, I don't know. I do know that none of those species have temples or saints or hymnals or tablets engraved with commandments. Or anything even remotely like those things, or any habits that would serve a similar function in their lives.
In fact, all other species reproduce - some with considerable gusto - but no other species worship.
So, I'm wondering how deep in the brain this religious drive can have originated.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Deeper, i.e. into the DNA.Alias wrote: ↑May 28th, 2018, 9:29 pm What, precisely is "religious lust"? What are the diagnostic manifestations? How are these "lusts" similar?Deeper in the brain stem? What, in the spinal cord?I believe the sexual drive is driven fundamentally from the brain stem [reptillian] and the religious drive is much deeper within the brain stem.
Obviously, reptiles have sexual drive. But then, so do insects. I'm not at all sure that spiders and lizards experience the urge to reproduce in a way very similar to the experience of an adolescent human male with his underwear catalogue. However, we can be fairly certain that potato bugs and turtles do not practice any religious ceremonies.
Going to more complex brain structures, a mourning dove and a harp seal, a llama and lynx, an elephant and a baboon all both have strong sex drives. At what point that urge becomes human-like lust, I don't know. I do know that none of those species have temples or saints or hymnals or tablets engraved with commandments. Or anything even remotely like those things, or any habits that would serve a similar function in their lives.
In fact, all other species reproduce - some with considerable gusto - but no other species worship.
So, I'm wondering how deep in the brain this religious drive can have originated.
Reptiles, insects and animals [non humans] has the same basic sexual drive and the more basic drive for survival. The critical difference is they do not have self-consciousness, consciousness of one's own mortality which generate the lust, i.e. the religious lust to escape inevitable certain mortality.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
I see no reason to assume that the drive is the same. I have never had my head eaten off during the sex act, so my wife seems to experience sexual feelings differently from praying mantises. And we have no idea if they experience lust. And there is no reason to use lust as a description of religious feelings and motivations. And it sounds absurd to talk about 'lust to escape inevitable certain mortality'. It is not lust that we and other animals experience when we feel the need/urge/emotions related to escapting something.Spectrum wrote: ↑May 29th, 2018, 12:08 am ]Deeper, i.e. into the DNA.
Reptiles, insects and animals [non humans] has the same basic sexual drive and the more basic drive for survival. The critical difference is they do not have self-consciousness, consciousness of one's own mortality which generate the lust, i.e. the religious lust to escape inevitable certain mortality.
And, as always, you assume that the motivation for being in religion is to escape mortality, when scientists have other hypotheses they are working with and there are religions, like Judaism, where there is no asserted afterlife.
In a poem creating a new metaphor for religious feelings or motivations can calling it lust,might be interesting, but as a philosophical position, it comes off as just finding a new way to attack what you do not like, whether it is grounded or not in reality.
Talk about 'deeper in the DNA' might also pass as poetry if placed well in a larger context, but in a philosophy context it sounds about as good as most qm justifications for telepathy.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
As usual your response are full to straw-man[s].Karpel Tunnel wrote: ↑May 29th, 2018, 3:10 amI see no reason to assume that the drive is the same. I have never had my head eaten off during the sex act, so my wife seems to experience sexual feelings differently from praying mantises. And we have no idea if they experience lust. And there is no reason to use lust as a description of religious feelings and motivations. And it sounds absurd to talk about 'lust to escape inevitable certain mortality'. It is not lust that we and other animals experience when we feel the need/urge/emotions related to escapting something.Spectrum wrote: ↑May 29th, 2018, 12:08 am ]Deeper, i.e. into the DNA.
Reptiles, insects and animals [non humans] has the same basic sexual drive and the more basic drive for survival. The critical difference is they do not have self-consciousness, consciousness of one's own mortality which generate the lust, i.e. the religious lust to escape inevitable certain mortality.
I stated all living things with sexual reproduction has the same fundamental mechanisms with different forms depending on the level of evolution.
I never state the sex and hunger drives are controlled by the same set of neurons. My point is the fundamental sex and hunger drives are at the same hierarchical levels but driven by different sets of neurons.
Note e.g. Maslow Hierarchy of Need,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27 ... ical_needs
Physiological Need e.g Air (Breathing), Water, Food, Sleep, Clothing, Shelter, Sex are driven from the same levels of the brain by different functions.
I never state animals experience lust!
Only human experience lust because they have self-consciousness.
Note the meaning of lust;
You seem to think lust must be noticeable like a hard-on. The most efficient way to detect 'lust' is to trace from the effects and consequences.Lust is a craving, it can take any form such as the lust for sexuality, lust for money or the lust for power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food as distinct from the need for food.
Lust is a psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion.
The lust in relation to religion is so obvious where believers will go to great lengths, e.g. proselytize, donate their lifesaving, cross the 7 seas, self-torture, sacrifice their lives, etc. to show their devotion to their religion and even to the extent of killing non-believers.
It is so obvious all religions involve the afterlife, even Judaism.And, as always, you assume that the motivation for being in religion is to escape mortality, when scientists have other hypotheses they are working with and there are religions, like Judaism, where there is no asserted afterlife.
Again I did not state ALL religions attempt to escape mortality, but all religions entails dealing with mortality one way or another.
Would you dare to claim ALL Jews who practiced Judaism do not get involved with the afterlife?
I am aware Jews believe in the after life in various ways but perhaps not like a the Islamic Paradise with virgins or Christian Heaven. Many modern ways may not believe in the concept of the afterlife at all but they still rely on their religion to deal with mortality.
I believe it is very critical and pertinent to relate religion with 'lust' and highlight how dangerous such lust [subliminal and explicit] is especially when the religion is laden with evil elements, e.g. in Islam.In a poem creating a new metaphor for religious feelings or motivations can calling it lust,might be interesting, but as a philosophical position, it comes off as just finding a new way to attack what you do not like, whether it is grounded or not in reality.
Talk about 'deeper in the DNA' might also pass as poetry if placed well in a larger context, but in a philosophy context it sounds about as good as most qm justifications for telepathy.
The majority may be ignorant, but in reality there is already 'lust' in religions and it is manifested in this evident stats;
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/TROP.jpg
Sufficient intelligence is need to link the proximate root causes to the above evil effects.
If this 'lust' is translated to Islamists dropping cheap nukes and other WMDs, it will be too late.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
DNA doesn't have deep and shallow ends. It's a spiral with the same thickness throughout its entire length.
And it doesn't correspond to any particular compartment of the brain - it's distributed in every kind of cell.
Yes. However their experience of 'lust' is quite different. I'm not an expert on this, but I would be very surprised if anything below the complexity of a rat could be said to lust after anything - and I'm not convinced even the cleverest rats are very choosy about their mates.Reptiles, insects and animals [non humans] has the same basic sexual drive and the more basic drive for survival.
Want, yes. Be driven to, yes. Feel frustrated when denied the opportunity to fulfill this instinctive drive, certainly.
But "lust" very particularly means 'strong sexual desire with a specific object' - not a generic need to reproduce.
The only way lust can be interpreted as religious is if the object of sexual desire is a god or holy icon.
(Which is not as uncommon as one might suppose, but still uniquely human.)
Which is further reaffirmation that the religious drive can only reside in the most recently-evolved part of the brain, and is not connected to feeding, fight-or-flight response or reproduction - or anything primal.The critical difference is they do not have self-consciousness, consciousness of one's own mortality which generate the lust, i.e. the religious lust to escape inevitable certain mortality.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Does a CEO correspond to any particular department within an organization?
It is the DNA that determines what is a human, i.e. how the brain and all parts of the human is to be constructed and maintain.
You missed the bolded;Yes. However their experience of 'lust' is quite different. I'm not an expert on this, but I would be very surprised if anything below the complexity of a rat could be said to lust after anything - and I'm not convinced even the cleverest rats are very choosy about their mates.Reptiles, insects and animals [non humans] has the same basic sexual drive and the more basic drive for survival.
Want, yes. Be driven to, yes. Feel frustrated when denied the opportunity to fulfill this instinctive drive, certainly.
But "lust" very particularly means 'strong sexual desire with a specific object' - not a generic need to reproduce.
- Lust is a psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion.
The lust within religion or sex is that force within the brain that driving the person towards some intended thing [physical or mental].The only way lust can be interpreted as religious is if the object of sexual desire is a god or holy icon.
(Which is not as uncommon as one might suppose, but still uniquely human.)
I suggest you update yourself on basic neuroscience and neuropsycholology.Which is further reaffirmation that the religious drive can only reside in the most recently-evolved part of the brain, and is not connected to feeding, fight-or-flight response or reproduction - or anything primal.The critical difference is they do not have self-consciousness, consciousness of one's own mortality which generate the lust, i.e. the religious lust to escape inevitable certain mortality.
The religious drive originates from the primal drives of survival and manifest in various forms up to the higher cortical parts of the brain.
It is the same with hunger which is very primal, but the manner food is consumed ranges from primitive ways of eating to the highest form of Science of Food and gourmet dining.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
as compared toThe religious drive originates from the primal drives of survival and manifest in various forms up to the higher cortical parts of the brain.
So, before I invest too much time updating myself, which is it?On the surface there are differences, but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulse driven from the basement of the brain.
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
There are some minor grammatical errors.Alias wrote: ↑May 29th, 2018, 11:00 pmas compared toThe religious drive originates from the primal drives of survival and manifest in various forms up to the higher cortical parts of the brain.So, before I invest too much time updating myself, which is it?On the surface there are differences, but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulse driven from the basement of the brain.
The fact is there are various primal drives from the basement of the brain, e.g. sex, food, security, fight and flight, etc.
Re this;
"but fundamentally they are the similar primal impulses driven from the basement of the brain. "
I should have written "impulses" to reflect the plural "they."
If you understand how the brain works, you could have been 'charitable'.
The impulses of the various primal drives operate independently.
When these impulses are triggered originally at the basement they are further filtered by the limbic [emotions, etc] and then the higher cortical cortex [reason, rationality, impulse controls, etc.].
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Re: Is There Any Difference Between Sexual Lust and Religious 'Lust?'
Both amorous lust and religious lust gives you a huge erection that you like to be sucked on. For men it's penile erection, for women, it's clitoral erection.
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