TO (Wesley R. Elsberry)
CC>No. They exist as states and processes in the real world (in
CC>people's brains). They can even be *measured*.
BV>Please tell me more about these scientific methods capable of
BV>measuring hate and love in the human brain. :-)
Elsberry:
>Research is being done to provide methods to quantify affect.
>One example that I know of is the research of W. Jackson Davis
>at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who has been
>working on quantifying affect in humans for some time now. By
>combining facial electromyography with standard subject slides
>used in psychology for self-report of affect, Davis has
>obtained good correlation between sub-threshold activation of
>facial musculature and self-report of affect. The pattern of
>activation indicates categories of affect (e.g., happy, sad,
>etc.) and the amplitude (or more precisely, the area within
>the envelope of the bursts) gives information on degree. In
>other words, Davis is able to both categorize and quantify
>affective states in humans via facial electromyography.
Bertvan
Hi Wesley. Possibly some scientists require electromyography to determine
whether a person looks happy, sad, etc., but most of us have other (only
partially understood) methods. However we read facial expressions, it is not
entirely experience, for even infants can do it. "A good correlation" is
pretty subjective. Scientific measurements such as gravity and the speed of
light, are called laws of nature because of their consistency. All actors,
and most of the rest of us, could fool electromyography (by an act of free
will). I doubt such a "scientific measurement" would be admissible as
evidence in court.
"A good correlation" resembles the type of "scientific" evidence offered for
Darwinism, which is why some people are skeptical of it.
Furthermore, it was love and hate that Chris claimed could be measured in the
brain, which are much more complex than "happy" or "sad".
Bertvan
http://members.aol.com/bertvan
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