The Random Comic Strip

The Random Comic Strip

Words to live by...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and to rest afterward."

[Spanish Proverb]

Ius luxuriae publice datum est

(The right to looseness has been officially given)

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."

Apparently, the crossword puzzle that disappeared from the blog, came back.


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sex and Memories

Yesterday was, essentially, a boring drive.

What does that mean? Not much but I had a chance to ponder things, large and small, as I rolled down the asphalt and concrete.

Two things came to mind. The first was about sex and the second was about intelligence.

My epiphany about sex was intriguing. I think, first of all, that sex is a primal urge. It is at the core of who we are. It is the main component of the survival instinct on a species level and, therefore, permeates all levels of all cultures in some way. Keeping this in mind, I came up with this...

Our first truly sexual encounter with another person sets the basis for all future ones. Perhaps it is that which we seek to re-create in all future sexual interactions either to re-capture it or to set it right. If true, this may be at the heart of our cultural taboos about sex before marriage that are common to most cultures. Also, perhaps, why there are a number of transitions to adulthood rituals involving the first sexual encounter.

The thoughts on intelligence had to do with what it is. Why are some people more intelligent than others? There appears to be a genetic component and there appears to be a nutritional component. It is said that we can improve intelligence of our children by reading to them when they are toddlers. I think that differences in intelligence are narrower than commonly accepted.

What I mused about yesterday was the role memory plays in intelligence. I think it is key. I also think we can all, barring physical brain damage, improve the ability to use our memories. Think of the brain as a giant file cabinet. How we file memories helps us retrieve them, just as how we sort files in our office file cabinets. As we lose our ability to retrieve memories specific or tangential to an issue or problem at hand, the dumber we feel. And, maybe, the dumber we are.

Perhaps more on these things tomorrow... if I remember.


Please forgive all typos and other errors, it is difficult for me to deal with a laptop keyboard.

4 comments:

Fragrant Liar said...

That sexuality at the core of us is exactly why it's so difficult for a true sex addict to recover. You can refrain from going to a bar or buying liquor if you're an alcoholic, but if you're a sex addict, you carry that with you wherever you go.

I like to think of my brain as a computer. My hard drive sometimes hangs up while I'm looking for an answer. It also runs a little sluggishly when too many programs are open at one time. It shuts down when I'm overloaded and resets itself when I turn myself off to later reboot. New hardware is always fun...

Bagman and Butler said...

Your blog gave me an brilliant insight about the role memory plays in intelligence. Unfortunately, I then started thinking about sex and forgot the insight. The story of my life!

Michael said...

Let's just say I dearly hope that, for me, the first sexual encounter does not set up a basis for all future ones.

Ahem.

I think that (a lack of) intelligence is partially genetic, but that 'part' only being a small fraction. I don't really know why I believe that percentage exists, I kind of just have a gut instinct that's telling me so. I do think it's partly nurture too, but even more powerful yet, also choice to be nurtured. All kids can be exposed to books and academia by their parents, but it is the path we choose, our own will of mind, that is way more powerful than nature or nurture.

Michael.

Bagman and Butler said...

Your blog gave me an brilliant insight about the role memory plays in intelligence. Unfortunately, I then started thinking about sex and forgot the insight. The story of my life!