Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity

Description

The book describes a common ground between the biology of life and the humanity of life without compromising either discipline. It attempts to bridge the gap between our "two cultures" — the sciences and the humanities, as advocated by C P Snow fifty years ago. This book connects our meager existence to the entire living world and the universe, physically and spiritually, through the simple perspective of "self," being defined as a system that seeks its own perpetuation. Ramon (Khe-Siong) Lim (born 5 Feb 1933), is Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the University of Iowa. After getting an M.D. degree (cum laude) in the Philippines (1958) and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania (1966), he embarked on post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, where he participated in research on the molecular basis of animal learning and memory. From 1969 to 1981, he was Assistant and Associate Professors at the University of Chicago, where he engaged in a research program on brain proteins and their effect on the maturation of brain cells. From 1981 till his retirement in 2005, he was Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Neurochemistry and Neurobiology at the University of Iowa, where he continued to research on brain proteins and brain cell differentiation, while also engaged in the care of neurologic patients. Lim is a member of seven professional societies related to biochemistry, molecular biology, neurochemistry, neurobiology, neuroscience, and neurology. His research has been funded by the US National Institute of Health and US National Science Foundation, and has resulted in over a hundred original publications in prestigious national and international scientific journals, including Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). In addition, he contributed numerous articles to scientific books. His broad background in chemistry, biology, and basic and clinical neuroscience, along with a life-long interest in philosophical issues, provides him with a unique qualification to simultaneously deal with the two aspects of life (physico-biological and socio-humanistic) in a holistic sense, unified under the common theme of "self". Other than science, Lim is an award-winning artist and a wellknown literary writer. His non-scientific creations are collected in the bilingual book An Anthology of Literary and Artistic Works of Ramon Lim (published in 2008, ISBN 978-971-94113-0-7). While at the University of Iowa, Lim served as an adviser to the world-renowned International Writing Program. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 1. Introduction: Why Self ?......Page 12 Notes and References......Page 18 2. An Astronaut’s Dilemma......Page 20 Notes and References......Page 24 3. Self and the Beginning of Life......Page 26 3.1 How Chemistry Shapes the World......Page 27 3.2 How Chemistry Shapes Life......Page 29 3.3 Kant’s Insight Applied on the Chemistry of Life......Page 43 3.4 The Uniformity of Biochemistry......Page 44 3.6 Ingredients of Life are Everywhere in the Universe......Page 45 3.8 Evidence in Favor of an RNA-first Scenario......Page 50 3.9 Evidence against RNA: (I) Making an RNA Molecule Proves Daunting......Page 52 3.10 Evidence against RNA: (II) How did Functioning Ribozymes Emerge from Random-sequenced RNA?......Page 54 3.11 Evidence against RNA: (III) How did an RNA World Turn Over to a Protein World?......Page 56 3.13 In Search of a Confined Environment......Page 57 3.14 The Power of Mineral Catalysis......Page 58 3.15 A Case for Peptide/Nucleotide/Mineral Interplay......Page 60 3.16 The Origins of the Genetic Code and the Translation Machinery......Page 62 3.17 Speculations on the Primitive Translation System......Page 65 3.18 A Recapitulation: What does a Genetic Code Mean?......Page 66 3.19 Issue Number Two: Spontaneous Organization......Page 67 3.21 What have we Learned about the Origin of Life?......Page 68 3.22 The Birth of Life is the Birth of Self......Page 70 3.23 Did Evolution Start Life?......Page 71 3.24 Self as the Driving Force of Evolution......Page 74 3.25 On Purpose and Design......Page 76 3.26 Is Biology Reducible to Physics?......Page 78 Notes and References......Page 79 4. The Microbial Self......Page 90 4.1.1 Defense against adverse environment......Page 91 4.1.3 Transfer of DNA and silencing of harmful foreign DNA......Page 92 4.1.5 Quorum sensing for mass action......Page 93 4.2.1 Amoeba feeding behavior......Page 94 4.2.2 Stentor avoidance behavior......Page 96 4.2.3 Slime molds: A link between unicellularity and multicellularity......Page 98 4.2.4 Self-optimization of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum......Page 99 4.3 A Bigger Question......Page 101 Notes and References......Page 102 5.1 Plant Protection of Self......Page 104 5.2 Extravagant Metabolism as a Strategy for Survival......Page 107 5.3 Tree Talks and Eavesdropping......Page 108 5.4 Racing to the Top......Page 109 5.5 Your Roots, My Roots......Page 110 5.6 How Plants Respond to Pathogen Infection......Page 114 5.7 Do Plants have Immunity?......Page 115 Notes and References......Page 117 6.1 Drama in a Glasgow Hospital......Page 120 6.2 Innate Immunity is Evolutionarily Very Old......Page 123 6.3 Cells Involved in Innate Immunity......Page 124 6.4 Special Strategies Against Viruses......Page 126 6.5 Adaptive (Acquired) Immunity Came in Late but Robust......Page 127 6.6 Gene Scrambling Leads to Antibody Diversity and Specificity......Page 128 6.7 MHC protein: A Personalized Molecular Signature......Page 130 6.9 When Self Tolerates another Self : Pregnancy......Page 133 6.12 Immune Surveillance: Elimination of the Renegade......Page 135 Notes and References......Page 136 7. The Animal Self : Neurobehavioral Correlates......Page 138 7.1 Neurons: Building Blocks of the Nervous System......Page 139 7.2 From Nerve Net to Brain: Evolution of the Nervous System......Page 146 7.3 Nervous System of the Vertebrates......Page 150 7.4 Synaptic Plasticity: The Key to Learning......Page 155 7.5 Parallel Evolution of Brain and Behavior......Page 156 7.6.3 Instinctive behavior in insects and higher animals......Page 158 7.6.4 Imprinting in young animals......Page 160 7.6.5 Trial and error versus reasoning......Page 161 7.7 Basic Features of a Well-developed Brain......Page 163 7.8 Hierarchical Organization Leads to Stepwise Abstraction......Page 164 7.9 Singularity of Self and Oneness of Psychic Experience......Page 165 7.10 The Brain and the Making of the Human Self......Page 167 7.11 The Brain and the Outside World......Page 169 Notes and References......Page 170 8.1 Consciousness Polarizes Self and Non-self......Page 174 8.2 Some Properties of Consciousness......Page 178 8.3 Electrical Correlates of Consciousness......Page 179 8.4 Neurology of Consciousness......Page 181 8.4.1 Discrete mode......Page 182 8.4.2 Diffuse mode......Page 184 8.5.2 Prolonged......Page 185 8.5.3 Recurrent and episodic......Page 186 Notes and References......Page 187 9. Self and Emotion......Page 190 9.1 We are All Captives of Passion......Page 191 9.3 Where is the “Seat” of Emotion?......Page 192 9.4 Autonomic Nervous System and the Hypothalamus......Page 195 9.5 Brain Centers Concerned with Emotion......Page 197 9.5.1 The amygdala......Page 198 9.5.2 Nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum......Page 199 9.5.4 Insular cortex......Page 201 9.5.6 Ventromedial prefrontal cortex......Page 202 9.6 Interoception and the Sensation of Emotion......Page 203 9.7 Role of Chemicals and Hormones......Page 204 9.8 Appraisal Precedes Emotion......Page 205 9.9 An Updated Theory of Emotion......Page 207 9.10 Emotional Interpretation of Pain and Pleasure......Page 209 9.12 Art as Extracorporeal Expression of Emotion......Page 211 Notes and References......Page 215 10.1 Memory and the Making of Biographical Self......Page 220 10.2 The Story of HM and the Secret to Human Memory......Page 221 10.3 Memory, Imagination, and Fantasy......Page 227 10.4 Animal Learning......Page 228 10.5 On Abstract Memory......Page 229 10.7 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Memory: Lessons From Invertebrates......Page 230 10.8 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Memory: Lessons From Vertebrates......Page 235 10.9 Visible Morphological Changes Resulting From Learning......Page 240 10.10 Dialogue between the Neocortex and Hippocampus......Page 241 10.11 Newton, Einstein, Kant and the Little Hippocampus......Page 242 Notes and References......Page 243 11. Self and Free Will......Page 248 11.1 To Will or Not to Will?......Page 249 11.2 When Is an Action Free?......Page 250 11.3 Causation, Determinism, Unpredictability, and Surprise......Page 251 11.4 Navigating a Probabilistic World......Page 253 11.5 The Brain as a Stochastic Machine......Page 255 11.7 Free Will in Lower Animals?......Page 257 11.8 Neurophysiological Basis of Volitional Acts......Page 258 11.9 Free Will was Almost Scuttled......Page 261 11.10 Pathological States of Volition......Page 262 Notes and References......Page 263 12.1 The Stratification of Self......Page 268 12.2 Cooperation: Key to the Expanded Self......Page 269 12.3 Lessons from Microbial Communities......Page 271 12.4 Lessons from Insect Communities......Page 273 12.5 What Causes Insect Eusociality?......Page 276 12.6.1 Genetic factors: Instinct and conscience......Page 278 12.6.3 Pro-social hormones......Page 279 12.6.4 Early life experience......Page 280 12.6.6 Collective consciousness......Page 281 12.6.7 Collective sentiment and the social function of art......Page 282 12.6.8 Empathy......Page 283 12.6.9 Altruism......Page 284 12.6.10 Role of culture......Page 286 12.6.11 Common external threats (real or imaginary)......Page 288 12.7 Group Selection Revisited: Self as the Fundamental Unit......Page 289 12.9 Evolution of Human Societies......Page 290 12.10.2 Kantian view......Page 291 12.10.5 Confucian view......Page 292 12.10.6 Buddhist view......Page 293 12.11 On Criminal Justice......Page 294 12.12 War Needs No Excuses......Page 295 12.13.2 Chimpanzee territorial expansion......Page 298 12.13.3 Rwandan massacre......Page 299 12.13.4 Nanjing massacre......Page 300 12.13.5 Bataan Death March......Page 301 12.13.6 Other war atrocities and coalitionary killings......Page 302 12.14 The Biological Roots of War and the Only Way to Eradicate it......Page 303 Notes and References......Page 304 13.1 “Look, How Happy the Fish Are!”......Page 310 13.2.1 Mind does not exist......Page 313 13.2.2 Mind is a bystander......Page 315 13.2.3 Mind interacts with body......Page 316 13.3 Do Other Beings Have Minds?......Page 317 13.5 Can Mind be Explained in Physical Terms?......Page 320 Notes and References......Page 322 14.1 Self and the Realities......Page 326 14.3 Navigating Across Layers of Realities......Page 332 14.4 Self and Existential Anxiety......Page 333 14.5 What is Religion?......Page 337 14.6 An Aside: Origins of Religion in Human History......Page 338 14.7 The Universe Inside Us......Page 339 14.9 When Mountains are Mountains Again......Page 340 Notes and References......Page 341 15. Epilogue: And the Quest Goes On......Page 346 Appendix A: Neurotransmitter Structures......Page 348 Appendix B: Organization of the Nervous System......Page 350 Appendix C: Relative Anatomical Positions......Page 352 Appendix D: Approaches to Explore the Brain......Page 354 Electrical recordings......Page 355 Electrical stimulation......Page 356 Non-invasive imaging......Page 357 Genetic manipulations......Page 358 Behavioral studies......Page 359 Computer modeling and informatics......Page 360 Glossary......Page 362 Acknowledgments......Page 374 About the Author......Page 376 Index......Page 378