Plasticity
by Tim Brunson, PhD
In 1762, French philosopher and author Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Cress, 1987) said, "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." No statement has ever as eloquently summed up the continuing saga of humanity's struggle between an ever-unfolding potential and limitations imposed by the inheritance of an animal-like nature. Thanks to its massive frontal lobe, the unparalleled ability of the human brain to self-direct continually confronts the instinctual resistance that permeates the neuro-physiological patterns that serve as the "source code" of our existence. Nevertheless, there is a feature in our pattern-driven nature that may also offer our higher-order volition opportunities if we are to grasp its full power. This is the fact that our protective nature – with its competitive and adaptive corollaries – provides us with the capability to continually reinvent our minds and our bodies to address our environment. Should – or when – we prove capable of using our minds to direct this "shape-shifting" ability, just maybe we can increase the likelihood that mankind can finally be free of the chains that Rousseau described.
