Transcript
"Will We Ever See A Neurodemocracy?" "Finally it is being speculated why blameworthiness could be the wrong question to ask when a crime is committed. Finally they have arrived where the judicial system should have been too many years ago. How is one to be held accountable for their actions if the biology of their brain has been altered by some circumstance? The answer lies in a forward moving brain-compatible legal system. This is defined as a Neurodemocracy. This is a fresh approach which will demonstrate that incarceration is not always the best remedy. To me it makes more sense and is something that should have been considered when we were standing face to face with some black robed figure awaiting our fate. His robe was as much a shadow to me as my shadowed side was to him. We knew each other not! Yet he judged me based on something he read from a sheet of paper which may or may not have even been the truth. Sad. Who am I to him? No one then. But a criminal now. Labeled forever for a mistake. Labeled because the real me was unknown and of no significance to him at all. So here I sit as it is with so many others, unfortunately. No doctor or therapist am I, so as not to be confused. I am simply a human being who has made a very costly mistake and am making the best effort to understand why we all do the things that we do. This, along with helping people get a clear glimpse of the same. And also a desperate attempt to open the eyes of those in charge of passing judgment on us. Though it is a job, judgment belongs to none of us. Yet those who have been granted this authority, this such power, either care not, or are oblivious about the inner workings of the human brain. Once again, I possess no fancy title behind my name. I'm just a curious and eager individual and am striving to help reveal what lies behind the veil we all wear knowingly or unknowingly. We each are born with our very own personal little three-pound computer system called the brain. This complex system is built up of billions of tiny cells called neurons and glia. They are all connected to one another and each cell sends electrical signals to other cells up to hundreds of times per second which makes approximately ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. How amazing is that? What is even more amazing is the way in which its biology can be altered by the least little thing. Things that surprisingly we would think was of no consequence and would therefore have no bearing whatsoever on our attitudes and behavior. But modern science has concluded this to be true. It has been determined that our thoughts are supported by anything physical. The state of thoughts are a direct result of physical material. So basically, any alteration to the brain changes the type of thoughts we think. Within our brains we possess two different mental processes, consciousness and unconsciousness. Consciousness is defined as the upper level of mental life of which a person is aware. Unconsciousness is defined as the part of one's mental life of which one is not ordinarily aware but which is often a powerful force in influencing behavior. Two forces that are usually in opposition to one another. Thankfully most of what we do in our mental lives in not under our conscious control. Luckily, because our little mental computer would be overloaded and short out just as a technological one does. Processes which normally go unnoticed or even taken for granted are done unconsciously. Things such as the beating of our hearts, breathing, and much more are carried out on an unconscious level. Imagine how much trouble it would be to remember just having to breathe. Overwhelming right? Alongside the processes of consciousness and unconsciousness, there is yet another set of opposing forces: the rational and the emotional. Both forces compete for control over the output of behavior; and emotions usually play a big part in decision making. How many of us are guilty of allowing our emotions to override our intellect? I know I am. This is a question in which every human being should share the same answer. This is the information bringing forth the question of blameworthiness. If there is a biological change in the functioning of a person's brain, how can they be blamed for any behavior not characteristic of their own? Not carrying equal severity, but, do we blame a child who does not yet know right from wrong? By no means am I making any attempt at all to excuse not only my own behavior, but the behavior of many whom have been convicted of a crime. I am simply saying that there's more to me than meets the eye." Written by Chanell Burnette
