You're on to something here, NorthOfNorth.
The need to believe, or worship, or pursue something, whether it be religious or secular in nature, springs from the same instinct. An intimate dialectical relationship between the self and world.

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 10:37am:


Maybe in some. Some have a "need" to worship maybe. Most do not have any such "need". I dont have any need to "worship" any deity or "believe" anything in particular. Generalisations.

The human is born with a need to learn. Not believe or worship or obsess.

SOB

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 10:42am:

What is that need?

How does it manifest when its objective is great?

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 10:48am:

You haven't answered my questions.

The common denominator is the ability of human beings to work with abstract concepts. It's a consequence of a highly developed cerebral cortex.

It comes at the cost of instability. There can be parallels with withdrawal in thinkers and autism, but a very small proportion of autistic people, known as autistic savants have enhanced cognitive ability. The type of autism known as Asperger's Syndrome is particularly associated with  savants.

Some of the most influential thinkers in history were bordering on that condition. Einstein is a prime example.

Stephen Hawking did not suffer from autism, but had no choice but to withdraw into the workings of his mind as a result of his motor neuron disease.

The common element is the cerebral cortex, and the use of it, and like any other body part, the more you use it, the more developed it becomes. With the brain, it's the neural pathways that become defined as opposed to muscles. Also in general terms,  the body tends to compensate for  malfunction of an organ or part of an organ by improved function in other senses.  With Hawking, the brain no longer performs the task of controlling a wide range of bodily functions, and consequently abstract thought processes were enhanced. I think that is the key.   

Just for laughs:

muso wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 10:58am:

And it is apparent that the advanced development of the cerebral cortex which occurred in homo sapiens and much less so in other humanoid species is that which distinguished us from those other species. One manifestation of this is the desire to reach out beyond the self and its simple interactions with the world and the other, to a greater (even counter-intuitive) reality. What drives our species to believe such a reality exists? An intense sense of wonder, that quickly manifests as worship of 'the numinous', the supernatural or 'the divine'?

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 10:50am:


Uhhh yes i did. What is that need? The need to learn because they dont know anything.

How does it manifest? by putting their hand on the hotplate and learning not to because it burns them.

Oh I guess i didnt address the "objective" well the objective is to stay alive isnt it.

SOB

NorthOfNorth wrote on Apr 29^th, 2012 at 11:10am:


SOME of our species. Not all.

SOB