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nature, Groch suggests in conclu–
sion, is man's onl y hope of
survival.
How is man leaming to use his
brain to solve his problems?
Nigel Caldei: probes this same di–
lemwa in his British Broadcasting
Corporatiox;¡ publication
The Mind
ofMan.
Our dilemma, he says, "re–
quires the best possible understand–
ing of human nature."
But how far has science pro–
gressed in this fascinating field?
What are the scientific )"topes for the
future?
1n recent years, through experi-
DOUGLAS MacARTHUR "We
have had our last chance. lf we
will not devise sorne greater
and more equitable system, Ar–
mageddon will be at the door.
The problem basically
.. .
involves
. . .
improvement of human char–
acter.
. .."
me,nts in biological technology,
modern science has been learning -
much faster than society realizes -
to play God with human nature!
Dr.
K.
,E. Moyer of Pittsburgh
University surprised the press at a
1968 UNESCO conference on brain
research. Brain research scientists
now stand, he said, 'on a threshold
similar to that on which the atomic
physicist stood in the early
l940s.~'
The Brain - Seat of
Human Nature
Only a few millimeters behind the
human face is an electrochemical
30
'data processing machine millions of
times more complex than the might–
iest computers.
The gray matter each human
being címies in his head is the most
intricate and eomplex of all the
works of nature. Neurologists estí–
mate that fue braín, weighing about
three pounds, contains biHions of
nerve cells by which it ](eeps the
body functioning, coordinates all its
outposts, and gives us the ability to
think.
Here are generated the thoughts,
feelíngs, dreams and creative ac–
tíons whích are the essence of
human lífe.
It
ís in tbe scíentífic
study of this vital organ, through
which human nature functions, that
scientistS belíeve man's hope of sav–
ing himself from the ultimate catas–
trophe lies.
Radio-controlled Mind
Scientists are experimenting with
the insertion into the brain of
minute electrodes whích can control
both actions and emotions. The hos–
tílity of violent psychotics can be
made to dissipate instantly, and
even basíc drives can be regulated.
But what of the possibility of
using electrical brain stimulation on
a wider scale to regulate the warlike
nature of man?
Jose Delgado, medica! scíentist at
Yale Dníversity, has made extensive
studies on the effect of elecfi:odes in
the brains of animals and humans
and sees possibilities for the wider
use of this technique. As the chíef
prophet of a better world buílt with
braín electrodes, he sees this as an
invaluable tool for helping the men–
tally sick and the c riminally
mínded.
But, comments Nigel Calder,
"Delgado's hopes are other people's
fears. For rhem, Big Brother ap–
pears with a new technology for pa–
litical control."
However awesome the devel–
opment of radío-controlled minds
may be, its application on a wide
seale wíll not be possible until scien–
tists have learned how to insert elec–
trodes in masses of humans. The
enormous cost and the mammoth
task of training sufficíent surgeons
to carry out such a project are addi–
tional obstacles. While a malevolent
neurosurgeon could become a Dr.
Frankenstein, it ís doubtful he
could
ever control enough people to be
Big Brother.
But scientists are developing
other more workable means of con–
trollíng human nature.
Mood Modifiers
Tbe increasing teéhnological com–
plexity of modero life is producing a
mountíng crop of neurosis, anxiety,
JUDITH GROCH " Power so vast
that it can swiftly devastate an
entire planet obviously can no
longer be managed by old–
fashioned quantities of wisdom
an~
restraint or by a morality
which operates sometimes, and
sometimes not."
dissatisfaction and disillusíonment.
In the last fi(teen years, scientists
)1ave created a steady stream of
drugs capable of affecting these
moods.
A technological forecast by 40 in–
ternational medica! experts predicts
that by 1990 most of us will be usíng
synthetíc mood modifiers, paoifiers
and general comforters. Drugs to
blunt curiosity and even inítíatíve
will be available. Sorne even predict
that
the
next five years will see a
hundredfold increase of drugs ca–
pable of affecting the mind!
Barbíturates, tranquilizers and
PLAIN TRUTH June-July 1974