________________
116
Neuroscience & Karma
Altruism : The performance of actions for the benefit of others rather than for oneself.
Amines : Substances derived from Ammonia e.g. adrenaline, acetylcholine, serotonin. Awareness : See experience. Circadian : Occuring rhythmically about once a day. Consciousness : The state of a person in which the programs of the brain allow experiencing and thinking; opposite of unconsciousness. Culture : The particular system of symbols, ideas, values and artifacts used by a group of people. Drive: Strong impulsive force producing feelings to act in a certain way; primal drives are primordial unlearned instincts e.g. hunger, sex. Elan vitale : The life-force, or vitality postulated by some to explain the continuation of life as an alternate to soul. Emotion : Mental condition of a person produced by impulsive forces through the interaction of hormones and cerebral action. They generally compel the person to take pöysical action to satisfy the need. Empirical : What is concerned with worldly life; it is based on experience or reason; opposite of transcendental. Epistemology : Theory of Knowledge; study of the programs by which we acquire knowledge and the capacity to use them. Evolution : The change of the genetic programs of populations. It has resulted over the ages, in the addition of information (knowledge), giving organisms the ability to survive in conditions detrimental to life. Experience(ing): The condition of a person when he is sensing, thinking or dreaming; state of awareness. Feedback: The use of part of the output of a regulated system to compare with the standard set for its program and produce appropriate change of input.