"[T]he philosopher Dan Dennett points out that the last thing we want in a soul is freedom to do anything it desires. If behavior were chosen by an utterly free will, then we _really_ couldn't hold people responsible for their actions. That entity would not be deterred by the threat of punishment, or be ashamed by the prospect of opprobrium, or even feel the twinge of guilt that might inhibit a sinful temptation in the future[...].
"Morality and law would be pointless. We could punish a wrongdoer, but it would be sheer spite, because it could have no predictable effect on the future behavior of the wrongdoer or of other people aware of the punishment."
Pinker, Steven. _The Blank Slate._ New York: Penguin, 2002. p. 177
In other words, another mental module that makes use of data gathered with the five senses--not another sense.
Data about the external world reaches the brain by way of the senses, of which there are five. The discovery of a previously unremarked way that the brain uses sensory input is not the discovery of another sense.
Think of the senses as input devices, like a mouse or a keyboard. If you install Mavis Beacon Typing, you are not adding an input device. If you discover Mavis Beacon Typing on your hard drive and didn't know you had it, you have not discovered an input device.
But we all digress. Now disprove the following, if you can.
There is no evidence whatsoever that we have found a new danger sensing mechanism in the human brain. All we see here is that native people, in tune with traditional ways of living, are keener observers of animal behavior than those whose attention is focused on other matters.
Slashdot Mirror
"[T]he philosopher Dan Dennett points out that the last thing we want in a soul is freedom to do anything it desires. If behavior were chosen by an utterly free will, then we _really_ couldn't hold people responsible for their actions. That entity would not be deterred by the threat of punishment, or be ashamed by the prospect of opprobrium, or even feel the twinge of guilt that might inhibit a sinful temptation in the future[...].
"Morality and law would be pointless. We could punish a wrongdoer, but it would be sheer spite, because it could have no predictable effect on the future behavior of the wrongdoer or of other people aware of the punishment."
Pinker, Steven. _The Blank Slate._ New York: Penguin, 2002. p. 177
In other words, another mental module that makes use of data gathered with the five senses--not another sense.
Data about the external world reaches the brain by way of the senses, of which there are five. The discovery of a previously unremarked way that the brain uses sensory input is not the discovery of another sense.
Think of the senses as input devices, like a mouse or a keyboard. If you install Mavis Beacon Typing, you are not adding an input device. If you discover Mavis Beacon Typing on your hard drive and didn't know you had it, you have not discovered an input device.
But we all digress. Now disprove the following, if you can.
There is no evidence whatsoever that we have found a new danger sensing mechanism in the human brain. All we see here is that native people, in tune with traditional ways of living, are keener observers of animal behavior than those whose attention is focused on other matters.