Your Brain Is Not An Onion With A Tiny Reptile Inside (2020)

Re:Your Brain Is Not An Onion With A Tiny Reptile Inside (2020) by Terr_ on Monday September 18, 2023 @06:12PM (#37562821)

> Because the brain physically, anatomically, has these "old strata". [...] Humans have a basal ganglia, and then extra stuff on top.

IMO the key is distinguishing between these two ideas:

1. There is a gross anatomical structure that can be linked to ancient ancestors with certain characteristics.

2. Those structures in living creatures are somehow "not really modern" or are unusually tied to the needs or limitations of those ancient ancestors.

Consider your fingers: They originate from fin-bones ~380 million years ago, yet (unlike "lizard brain") nobody talks about possessing "fish fingers" except as a fried food product. We also don't create narratives explaining our finger operations or design in terms of what ancient fish required or were capable of.

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Re:Your Brain Is Not An Onion With A Tiny Reptile Inside (2020) by samplatt on Tuesday September 19, 2023 @12:14AM (#37565534)

The Pterodactylus flying lizards are named literally for their "winged fingers". I suspect that we talk about this stuff when discussing evolutionary biology just fine, it's just that the "lizard brain" is a popsci term that the great-unwashed have latched onto.

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