Today is a follow on to yesterday's post. Been thinking about caring, why we care and what causes the caring and other 'morality' ideals. Recent scientific experiments have revealed that there seems to be a biological, an actual genetic reason for caring as well as, apparently, many of the other morals that most humans seem to have.

We've known since the 19th century that by removing a certain section of the brain, you can turn a conscientious, religious, good father and dependable worker into a antisocial, selfish, erratic worker, poor father, swearing individual. We know this because a construction worker had a large iron rod blown through his head, which removed this section. We know the areas of the brain that were removed, because we still have his skull. Recent developments with MRI scans have shown that these various areas of the brain, are responsible for religious feelings, dependability, being social, as well as caring for others. Not only have they identified the areas that are responsible for these morals, they have determined some of the genetic material (but not yet all) that turns these areas on and off.

Using virtual studies, where they show individuals specific scenarios, they've been mapping these sections of the brain and what goes on when people make decisions, such as saving five people at the cost of one person. They've shown that some people, such as serial killers, don't have certain sections of the brain working the same way as 'normal' people.

This brings into question mental competence. If a killer can show that the section of the brain that would normally prevent a 'normal' person to go out and kill indiscriminately, does that mean that they are not 'normal' and shouldn't be tried under 'normal' rules?

For instance they have identified specific alleles of genes that induce the production of serotonin in the brain. Now they have just started a test of injecting DNA fragments of these alleles into the brain of selected clinically depressed individuals, to see if they can alleviate depression in them. If this succeeds, and they eventually identified variants of genes that can turn on or off certain moral actions, what is to prevent the forced treatment of the individuals who are considered by many to be mentally and morally deficient?

As they have already determined the sections of the brain that induce religious feelings, could someone force a treatment on atheists to become religious or even the other way around. Should we be able to force anyone to change the nature of their brain and as such their beliefs?