Consider the nature of life, and the nature of living. Previous columns have extended current, although initial, scientifically consistent answers for some of humanity’s ancient questions, most recently into the area of consciousness.
Initially those networks became connected by gene–directed growth. Later, restructuring occurs—throughout life, on a moment by moment basis—due to the energy traces from conditioning processes. Physiology–discipline resources provide more details, which leads me (And you?) to love the coordination and cooperation that inheres among natural–science disciplines, along with their usually timely self–correcting interactions.
On a good–sized, temperate, mid–ocean island, the aging Shaman’s well trained apprentice reported his worries to his master. “I have been making many observations about the crops for the last couple of years, and I am concerned about the harvest this year.” But the Shaman reassured his apprentice, “The rains have been good, the signs read months ago, and the appropriate number of virgins sacrificed. So things should be fine this year.”
Two considerations recur across these columns. These concern my examples and writing style. In early columns, or with basic principles and processes, simple human behaviors as well as an occasional non–human behavior provides the examples best illustrating some particular point, because behaviorology concerns all behavior. However, the realistic explanation of ordinary, which really means complex, human behavior remains our primary emphasis as we get into later columns.
The particular difficulty with normal human–behavior examples centers on their inevitable complexity. Every realistic example contains numerous factors and effects. Many of these regularly interact with each other. While an example illustrates one or another concept or point, these other factors and effects continue to demand explanation as well. Meeting such demands would expand each example far too much, and would get me into trouble with editors or publishers.
