Papers by Michele Ernandes
Mankind Quarterly, 1998
The author surveys the evolutionary structure of the human brain in relation to the phenomenon of... more The author surveys the evolutionary structure of the human brain in relation to the phenomenon of human religiosity, with particular reference to the synthesis of serotonin and the human tendency to search for and recognize a "group leader." Key words: Triune Brain, Religion (origin of), Theism, Serotonin Premises Concerning the Biological Basis of Religion Before discussing the problem of the origin of the idea of an "Immense Power Being," we consider it to be necessary to state two premises: 1) it has been established by Kant (1781) that it is impossible to prove rationally the existence or the non-existence of God (= the "Immense Power Being"); 2) the idea of some "godly power" has existed in all known human societies in one form or another. The problem is now to explain how and why such an idea exists, and, since it exists in a natural being, it is pertinent to research such a question by means of the natural sciences, remembering that "Thoughts and beliefs are necessarily dependent on neurophysiological activity of the brain" (Delgado 1969). Brain activity, in turn, is determined firstly by genetic property, which predetermines brain structures, their possible contacts, and their learning abilities, and, secondly, by environmental influences which, received by the brain structures, may influence the activities and devlopment of the latter. The brain structures from which physiological capabilities and behavior proceed are the result of a long evolutionary course during which they have been selected for providing the best adaptations to external environment. According to Lorenz (1973), the "glasses" of our way of thinking and seeing (i.e. casualness and constancy connections, space and time) are functions of a neurosensorial organization developed in service of species preservation. Religious ideas have the peculiarity of being universal: as reported by A. Brelich (1970), "No society has been found, even among the most `primitive,' which was devoid of any faith in divine beings endowed with personal features." It is thus possible to suppose that religion has a biological basis given that it is universal or near-universal. According to Leakey and Lewin (1977), we say that when an aspect of behavior is universal to human societies it may be permissible to suspect that it has some kind of genetic basis. Based on these premises we can surmise that religious behavior and thought may be rooted in a specific genetic predisposition. This does not involve any assumption that the idea of a divine being is "innate", but merely that it is naturally conceivable, thinkable, in the human mind - and that in the human brain there are certain anatomic and physiologic structures which in particular environmental circumstances have favored the birth of religious ideas, and that such ideas often become a part of the cultural heritage. MacLean's Triune Model of the Brain Genetic predisposition operates through the development of encephalic structures. P. D. MacLean (1970/1990) elaborated a model of brain structure and evolution. He described it as a "Triune brain", because he located in it three principal phylogenetic structures that have been superimposed and that have become integrated during evolution. He terms these three basic types reptilian (Protoreptilian, R-complex), old mammalian (Paleomammalian, Limbic System) and new mammalian (Neo-mammalian) (Fig. 1). (This subdivision is a simplification, since small nervous centers referable to the Limbic System or to the Neocortex may be found, as primordia, in reptiles). "The protoreptilian brain is thought to represent a fundamental core of the nervous system, consisting of systems in the upper spinal cord and parts of the midbrain, the diencephalon, and the basal ganglia" [i.e. the olfactostriatum (olfactory tubercle and nucleus accumbens) and structures defined as part of the corpus striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, and satellite collections of gray matter) ( MacLean 1985 a, p. …
L'Ateo, 2017
Chi era il “faraone” d’Egitto che prese Sarai (presentata come sorella da Abramo) come moglie (Ge... more Chi era il “faraone” d’Egitto che prese Sarai (presentata come sorella da Abramo) come moglie (Gen 12: 14-20), e venne punito da YHWH? Che relazione ci può essere tra tale episodio e quello analogo che si svolge a Gerar [Gen 20: 1-16], e che ha per protagonista Abilmelec, che viene
punito da ELOHIM? Il criterio metodologico della Decostruzione Comparativa (PM, p. 22) ci può fornire la risoluzione del problema.
L'Ateo, 2016
Nell’articolo precedente (L’Ateo 108: 21-25), dedicato alle “Premesse metodologiche di studio” e ... more Nell’articolo precedente (L’Ateo 108: 21-25), dedicato alle “Premesse metodologiche di studio” e alle “prime conclusioni” (da qui in poi citato come PM, seguito da qualche parola del titolo di paragrafo e/o dal numero di pagina), siamo giunti alla conclusione (PM, Yukiko Ueno, p. 24, terza colonna) che Abramo nacque intorno al 1475 a.C. nell’ Alta Mesopotamia,
a quel tempo la parte principale del Regno deiMitanni, i quali parlavano una lingua indoeuropea ma ci hanno lasciato scarsissime fonti scritte della loro lingua.
Erano allevatori e guerrieri praticamente illetterati che utilizzavano la lingua accadica, di ceppo semitico, per le relazioni diplomatiche (abbiamo diverse lettere scritte dai re mitanni ai re d’Egitto risalenti
al periodo in cui i loro rapporti erano migliorati, alcuni decenni dopo il tempo di Abramo).Gli scribi che hanno messo per la prima volta in iscritto le vicende di Abramo, cioè gli autori delle prime "Fonti originali," poi utilizzate, con probabili passaggi intermedi, dagli scrittori yahvisti ed elohisti, dovevano scrivere in accadico ciò che veniva loro raccontato in
mitannico, cioè tradurre da una lingua indoeuropea in una lingua semitica, e ciò poteva determinare equivoci (i semiologi dicono che spesso “tradurre” significa “tradire”).
L'Ateo, 2016
Qualche lettore può chiedere: perché Dei” invece di “Dio” nel titolo? Non
era Abramo un monoteist... more Qualche lettore può chiedere: perché Dei” invece di “Dio” nel titolo? Non
era Abramo un monoteista e non era egli un adoratore di Yhwh (Gen 12: 8)? La risposta comincia con l’osservazione che egli non fu un “adoratore di Yhwh”, per il semplice fatto che non conosceva tale nome, come apprendiamo dalla stessa Bibbia (Esodo 6: 2-3: “Elohim parlò a Mosè dicendogli: «Io sono Yhwh: sono apparso ad Abramo, ad Isacco e a Giacobbe come El Saddai, ma il mio nome Yhwh non l’ho fatto loro
conoscere»”).
Mankind Quarterly, 2016
“Theologians from Philo of Alexandria down to the present have attempted to obscure Yahweh’s freq... more “Theologians from Philo of Alexandria down to the present have attempted to obscure Yahweh’s frequent appearance in the Hebrew Bible as a theomorphic human.” In this way, Harold Bloom (2005: 130) has expressed scholars’ embarrassment about marked anthropomorphism of God in some biblical tales. In this article, the author examines the nature of “Abraham’s God”, finding it incompatible with the god of the later prophetic (Mosaic) tradition. The proposed explanation is that the patriarchal stories originated as a secular family history that was re-interpreted at a later time and incorporated into the canon of the emerging religion of the people of Israel. During the reworking of the original source, a succession of Egyptian kings whom the patriarchs served was transformed into a god, who was equated with the god of the new religion. Key Words: Abraham, Genesis, patriarchs, anthropomorphism, Mitanni, Egypt
Hebrew Bible as a theomorphic human." In this way, Harold Bloom (2005: 130) has expressed scholar... more Hebrew Bible as a theomorphic human." In this way, Harold Bloom (2005: 130) has expressed scholars' embarrassment about marked anthropomorphism of God in some biblical tales. In this article, the author examines the nature of "Abraham's God", finding it incompatible with the god of the later prophetic (Mosaic) tradition. The proposed explanation is that the patriarchal stories originated as a secular family history that was re-interpreted at a later time and incorporated into the canon of the emerging religion of the people of Israel. During the reworking of the original source, a succession of Egyptian kings whom the patriarchs served was transformed into a god, who was equated with the god of the new religion.
XIX Biennial Conference of the International Society …, 2008
According to ethological point of view, the most important religious displays consist in the gath... more According to ethological point of view, the most important religious displays consist in the gathering of several human groups who perform repeated and prolonged demonstrations of submission toward dominant individuals. These dominant individuals take different forms in each ...
FOLIA PRIMATOLOGICA, 2006
According to ethological point of view, the most important religious displays consist in the gath... more According to ethological point of view, the most important religious displays consist in the gathering of several human groups who perform repeated and prolonged demonstrations of submission toward dominant individuals. These dominant individuals take different forms in each ...
Human Evolution, 1996
Page 1. HUMAN EVOLUTION Vol. ll - N. 1 (67-77) - 1996 M. Ernandes M. La Guardia S.Giammanco lstit... more Page 1. HUMAN EVOLUTION Vol. ll - N. 1 (67-77) - 1996 M. Ernandes M. La Guardia S.Giammanco lstituto di Fisiologia e Nutrizione Umana, Facolt~ di Farmacia Universit~ di Palermo via Augusto Elia, 3 90127 - Palermo, Italy ... Laura NewelI-Morris, Florence, April 20.21 ...
The Mankind Quarterly, 2002
In 1977 M Harner suggested that the Aztecs might have practiced cannibalism to obtain animal prot... more In 1977 M Harner suggested that the Aztecs might have practiced cannibalism to obtain animal proteins.
In this study we attempt to show that a maize diet may cause serotonin deficiency and that this could explain cannibalism and other peculiarities of Aztec culture
Theism as a product of the Human Triune Brain, 2018
Bollettino della Società italiana di biologia sperimentale, 1989
The aim of this research is to study the effects of a diet almost devoid of tryptophan, which is ... more The aim of this research is to study the effects of a diet almost devoid of tryptophan, which is given by a feeding with precooked yellow corn meal (corn mush), on the alterations of the estrous cycle of animals in several conditions of environmental lighting. Indeed, it is known that cerebral serotonin influences the releasing of LH and consequently the ovulation. The different types of environmental lighting are: 1) Natural (alternating Day-Night = L/D). 2) Continuous dark (D/D). 3) Continuous light by sodium steams (L/L sodium). 4) Continuous light by fluorescent neon tubes (L/L neon). The muricide behaviour is studied by comparison rat-mouse. The feeding with precooked yellow corn meal (diet lacking of tryptophan) unchains in the 100% of the observations the CEA (Constant Estrous Anovulatory), and significantly shrinks the estral cycle in the female Wistar Rat in several conditions of environmental lighting.
Bollettino della Società italiana di biologia sperimentale, 1989
The aim of this research is to observe if the lack of cerebral serotonin, obtained by a diet almo... more The aim of this research is to observe if the lack of cerebral serotonin, obtained by a diet almost devoid of tryptophan (precooked yellow corn meal) is able to trigger the muricide behaviour in male Rats naturally non-muricide. To determine the tryptophan content in the food used and in 4 types of selected maize flour (Zea mays: indurata, indentata, opaque/2 and synt. marano), 3 different methods have been used (ion-exchange chromatography, spectrofluorometry, spectrophotometry). The muricide behaviour, or the interspecific attack, has been tested by comparison Rat-Mouse. The results show that the feeding with a diet "short term" (4 days), composed of precooked corn meal, with a very low content of tryptophan, induces the appearance of muricide or aggressive behaviour towards the Mouse in more than half of the Wistar Rats, bred in a room constantly lighted by sodium steam light. The appearance of the above-mentioned behaviour is connected with the decrease in cerebral ser...
Bollettino della Società italiana di biologia sperimentale, 1989
The aim of this research is to study the effects of different modalities of environment lighting ... more The aim of this research is to study the effects of different modalities of environment lighting on the appearance of the muricide behaviour in the Wistar male Rat. Indeed it is known that the exposition of Rats in environment to continuous light determine a reduction of the cerebral content of serotonin, which is known to unchain the muricide behaviour in naturally not muricide Rats. The animals are kept in different situations of environment lighting: 1) L/D = the natural light of the day alternated with the dark of the night; 2) L/L sodium = continuous light emitted by a sodium steam l& 3) L/L neon = continuous light issued from fluorescent neon tubes. The muricide behaviour is studied by comparison Rat-Mouse. The results obtained show that the continuous sodium steam light (L/L, sodium) remarkably increase the percentage of the animals which become muricide compared to the control animals bred in natural environment with a normal succession day-night (L/D). On the contrary the p...
Human Evolution, 1996
Page 1. HUMAN EVOLUTION Vol. ll - N. 1 (67-77) - 1996 M. Ernandes M. La Guardia S.Giammanco lstit... more Page 1. HUMAN EVOLUTION Vol. ll - N. 1 (67-77) - 1996 M. Ernandes M. La Guardia S.Giammanco lstituto di Fisiologia e Nutrizione Umana, Facolt~ di Farmacia Universit~ di Palermo via Augusto Elia, 3 90127 - Palermo, Italy ... Laura NewelI-Morris, Florence, April 20.21 ...
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Papers by Michele Ernandes
punito da ELOHIM? Il criterio metodologico della Decostruzione Comparativa (PM, p. 22) ci può fornire la risoluzione del problema.
a quel tempo la parte principale del Regno deiMitanni, i quali parlavano una lingua indoeuropea ma ci hanno lasciato scarsissime fonti scritte della loro lingua.
Erano allevatori e guerrieri praticamente illetterati che utilizzavano la lingua accadica, di ceppo semitico, per le relazioni diplomatiche (abbiamo diverse lettere scritte dai re mitanni ai re d’Egitto risalenti
al periodo in cui i loro rapporti erano migliorati, alcuni decenni dopo il tempo di Abramo).Gli scribi che hanno messo per la prima volta in iscritto le vicende di Abramo, cioè gli autori delle prime "Fonti originali," poi utilizzate, con probabili passaggi intermedi, dagli scrittori yahvisti ed elohisti, dovevano scrivere in accadico ciò che veniva loro raccontato in
mitannico, cioè tradurre da una lingua indoeuropea in una lingua semitica, e ciò poteva determinare equivoci (i semiologi dicono che spesso “tradurre” significa “tradire”).
era Abramo un monoteista e non era egli un adoratore di Yhwh (Gen 12: 8)? La risposta comincia con l’osservazione che egli non fu un “adoratore di Yhwh”, per il semplice fatto che non conosceva tale nome, come apprendiamo dalla stessa Bibbia (Esodo 6: 2-3: “Elohim parlò a Mosè dicendogli: «Io sono Yhwh: sono apparso ad Abramo, ad Isacco e a Giacobbe come El Saddai, ma il mio nome Yhwh non l’ho fatto loro
conoscere»”).
In this study we attempt to show that a maize diet may cause serotonin deficiency and that this could explain cannibalism and other peculiarities of Aztec culture
punito da ELOHIM? Il criterio metodologico della Decostruzione Comparativa (PM, p. 22) ci può fornire la risoluzione del problema.
a quel tempo la parte principale del Regno deiMitanni, i quali parlavano una lingua indoeuropea ma ci hanno lasciato scarsissime fonti scritte della loro lingua.
Erano allevatori e guerrieri praticamente illetterati che utilizzavano la lingua accadica, di ceppo semitico, per le relazioni diplomatiche (abbiamo diverse lettere scritte dai re mitanni ai re d’Egitto risalenti
al periodo in cui i loro rapporti erano migliorati, alcuni decenni dopo il tempo di Abramo).Gli scribi che hanno messo per la prima volta in iscritto le vicende di Abramo, cioè gli autori delle prime "Fonti originali," poi utilizzate, con probabili passaggi intermedi, dagli scrittori yahvisti ed elohisti, dovevano scrivere in accadico ciò che veniva loro raccontato in
mitannico, cioè tradurre da una lingua indoeuropea in una lingua semitica, e ciò poteva determinare equivoci (i semiologi dicono che spesso “tradurre” significa “tradire”).
era Abramo un monoteista e non era egli un adoratore di Yhwh (Gen 12: 8)? La risposta comincia con l’osservazione che egli non fu un “adoratore di Yhwh”, per il semplice fatto che non conosceva tale nome, come apprendiamo dalla stessa Bibbia (Esodo 6: 2-3: “Elohim parlò a Mosè dicendogli: «Io sono Yhwh: sono apparso ad Abramo, ad Isacco e a Giacobbe come El Saddai, ma il mio nome Yhwh non l’ho fatto loro
conoscere»”).
In this study we attempt to show that a maize diet may cause serotonin deficiency and that this could explain cannibalism and other peculiarities of Aztec culture