Golden Rule Trumps Behavioral ‘Science’

Re “Neuroscientists Mine the Depths of Emotions,” Nov. 8:

I must express my apprehension of our current research in the field of human behavior. The article speaks of researchers who are trying to record emotions and brain activity, an area they say is hitherto unknown.

Interesting that more “science” in this field has led to a voluminous amount of “disorders,” which in turn has resulted in a corresponding list of “behavioral” drugs to alter people. We can see plainly the disastrous effects this has created, with the escalation of violence and mental institutions, including a large portion of the population of our children, like we have never seen before.

If the golden rule and decent social mores have influenced the “anatomy of social graces, neural impulses of fairness and shame” in the past, maybe it’s time to reemphasize that workable formula. At least people would have the choice with their own behavior, rather than having some know-best scientist push buttons to adjust our emotions.

Clif Miller

Irvine