Has anybody read the book: The Neuroscience of Emotion: A New Synthesis?
I am curious to check it out, it came up in a recommendation for me. Does anybody have any other good books to recommend?
I didn’t read it (I’ve just read some of the bad and regular reviews on Amazon -I use to do that first- and maybe it would be useful for you to read them).
Did you want recommendations on that topic or on any topic?
Amazon reviews can seem so random these days or loads of people hate something and I love it, or vice versa.
I am wondering what new insights have been made in neuroscience and understanding emotions, instincts, self, etc.
True. But in these, for example, someone pointed out a few specific contradictions that you might want to be aware of (of course, they can consist of reviewer bias, but may lead you to look for other reviews of the book outside of Amazon, as I do).
Although I read papers on these subjects, I think the last recommendable book I read was “Consciousness and the Brain” by Stanislas Dehaene.
Thanks @Miguel for the heads up.
When at uni, I had access to papers in other subjects I was interested in too. I used to like reading on random subjects. I barely have the time to keep up with as many interests as I used to.
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@son_of_bob I haven’t read this particular book. I might.
The science of emotions is a relatively new field and, despite the increasing amount of neuroscience data, this newness shows in the very varied viewpoints and unfinished-looking theories.
I’ve read books by Antonio Damasio, Joseph Ledoux, Lisa Feldman Barrett… which were quite interesting, but also somewhat disappointing.
Now that it’s been months/years, I’d be hard-pressed to point any thing of interest that has stayed with me lol.
At this point I do not see it as relevant to an understanding of actual freedom, nor at all instrumental to the practice of actualism - probably even confusing on that account.
Hi @geoffrey, I have read some Joseph Ledoux as well, I don’t remember much from it either lol. I guess I am always on the look out for any new developments in understanding the human condition.
I still find it hard to convince people that their emotions derive in their brain, everyone around me seems to think the “soul” is the source of their emotions. I guess I am always building up an arsenal of facts to try and convince people to respond differently on that subject.
Not that I am trying to proselytise people to actualism but in sensible discussions I am always trying to see if I can share something that might make people think differently about what they are and who they feel themselves to be.
Random question, do you still experience curiosity?
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That’s interesting @son_of_bob. It is quite weird how people believe in a self or a soul even though it’s not really logical - I guess that is how “self-evident” self is. Obviously for most of my life I never questioned this myself, and so many beliefs cover it up as well. Also the presence of self itself covers it up very brilliantly and cunningly, which is happening with me right now.
Take the history of evolution for example. So I am listening to the story of how fish crawled out of the sea, became land mammals and then eventually evolved into homo sapiens. It all makes sense on paper, except for the fact that I came to exist through this process. How the hell did I get involved in that story? Me, with all my beliefs, memories, feelings etc which seem oh so far removed from evolution, the natural world, birth/death, the universe, everything. It makes no logical sense. It’s only because a sense of self already exists within each feeling being that self is an unquestionable axiom. Even the NoSelf people have selves 
.
I have noticed that more scientists have started to find evidence that there is no part of the brain attributable to a self. There are also certain scientists, academics and philosophers who are grappling with reality not seeming to be concrete, time not being anything objective etc. I think it is very confronting territory for people who don’t have an out like AF where it all ends up making sense.
In fact the rare times I mention actualism to people, they tell me it all sounds so nihilistic! 
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I used to have a soul belief too, so I get where you are coming from but I always did question it but didn’t always get to the right answer. Even as I began to understand more about neuroscience, biology and evolution, in my old writings I can see myself sort of splitting up between a physical and soul view. When I began to accept the physical as being the cause of my emotions and sense of self, that it happened in my brain, it was a big shift. This was the time when my friend then decided to introduce me to AF.
It is indeed cunning. I would say that society/family truly reinforce the soul belief as well, it seems taboo to question it and challenge it.
Funnily enough though, once I reached the conclusion of the physical nature of my emotions and self I had no problem ditching the concept of soul. Once I see the sense and facts, I move on so to speak. The idea that I was an “identity” was trickier for me to conceptualise though, like seeing I had these types of identity, the atheist, the outsider, the writer, etc.
My friend was a smart guy. He was questioning the nature of “self” when we were in high school. He began to wonder whether self was illusory back then. It took me a long time to catch up with him to be honest.
I too have had similar responses. In fact, I just don’t seem to mention it anymore as I have never had anybody else ever be engaged or show interest, not even to go to an effort to refute it, as I first did to my friend when exposed to it.
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Haha yeah I am the same. I never mention it to anyone, except talking around it a bit 
It depends on what you mean.
I rarely find myself asking people questions “out of curiosity…” (if I do it’s merely out of politeness) - but I often find myself asking questions about facts relating to somebody’s field of competence.
For example I remember asking, in the last days, questions about store merchandising, plant pruning, cobots… but none about what happened to someone’s cousin, what people did yesterday, or where they’re going for the holidays.
Thanks for the response. I meant in the sense of how things work, or the facts/details of a subject or what is new in an environment, like wandering down an unknown road to find out what’s there.
@son_of_bob Yes, sure. However there is no need for it.
For example
… is precisely what I’m doing right now, wandering in a residential area while waiting for my son to finish his sports practice. It’s very enjoyable. However my usual daily walks feature the exact same circuit every day on the country roads around my house… but it always appears new and fresh anyway, or jamais vu. 
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Thanks for clarifying and reminding me of my own PCE’s, the jamais vu aspect really stuck out as some of the PCE’s occurred on a walk I had taken hundreds of times before and it was as if I had never seen that place before.
Has anyone read this book, it is about Forgiveness, but it is spiritually based!
The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness Paperback – November 1, 2004
by Gary R. Renard
I enjoy hearing descriptions of what it’s like being in the actual world, it seems to trigger a kind of squirmy excitement kind of thing in my guts
It’s one of the best things to lead me to feeling good, I think maybe because it triggers / unlocks the memory of a PCE or EE
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