Brussels sprouts and ID

I hate Brussels sprouts (although I love carrots). I hated them as a kid and I still hate them. As an adult, I have tried to rediscover certain foods that I choked on as a child, yet my effort with these little, ugly, wannabe-cabbages has been complete failure. If I pop one of these foul little balls into my mouth and start mashing down on it, my eyes begin to tear-up and my stomach anticipates it with waves of convulsion.

Okay, so maybe it's all in my head. After all, some people actually love nasty runt cabbages. Yet I have long suspected that we all don't taste the same and a recent study has come along to help make my case. It makes sense to me.

I've tasted PTC papers before and can't remember if I can taste them, suggesting I can't. Nevertheless, I will claim a genetic predisposition toward sproutophobia to spare myself further attempts at learning to acquire a taste for the nasty.

But there is one little lesson in all this "“ we don't all perceive the exact same world. If something like a little taste receptor can teach us this, imagine what happens when the entire circuitry of the brain, influenced by genetics and our unique environmental experiences, is factored into the picture. When our brains acquire the raw data of the world through our sensory receptors, it is unreasonable to think we would all assign the same meaning, attention, and emphasis to all these data.

The critic, for example, may see "no evidence" for ID. But why does the critic think I should see as he does? After all, I am not that critic. Ah, but then let us use "science" to resolve the dispute. But science is no less an expression of the human brain. What if there are certain topics about the world that are strangely similar to Brussels sprouts, topics that cause some brains simply to recoil in convulsion?

Look, just because I hate Brussels sprouts doesn't mean I will try to keep you from eating them.

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14 Responses to “Brussels sprouts and ID”

gmlk Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Most people who hate brussels sprouts do so because nobody ever told them how to make them.

If you make them the wrong way (heat too slowly or boil too long) they will become bitter long before they become brown.

Put them up on the highest setting in an open(!) pan with just enough water (do not emerse them). Wait until the water begins to boil, let it boil for about 30-90 seconds (depending on your preference: You may want to experiment). Then take the pan off the fire and let them sit in the hot water. If you did it right the water will almost all be evaporated after about 5-10 minutes. Put in a little bit of butter or (vegetable) margarin. Sprinkle some nutmeg on top and your done.

In short: little water, open pan, very hot and swift.

Comment by gmlk — February 17, 2007 @ 7:50 am

Douglas Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 9:18 am
I hate peas. Squishy little yucky green puss-balls. I've never had brussels sprouts (I don't think I've ever even been in their presence), but I imagine I'd hate them, too. I do know for certain that I hate peas. But I love carrots - I have two packages of "baby carrots" in my fridge, which packages I will raid at times for a healthy snack (aided by salt, of course). Oh, and I used to hate broccoli, or at least thought I did (I never ate it); now, though, I find I quite enjoy broccoli, especially with melted cheddar (and plenty of salt, and pepper, of course).

Let it be known, though, that I hate peas.

Comment by Douglas — February 17, 2007 @ 9:18 am

P A Nelson Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Brussels sprouts aren't "wannabe" cabbages. They ARE cabbages: genus Brassica, one of the most diverse genera known.

But the real puzzle is lima beans. Why, oh why, do lima beans exist? Starting with the unspeakably perverse dish "succotash" (lima beans + corn: now there's a recipe from the Depths of Hell cookbook), lima beans ruin every meal in which they make an appearance.

Just what was the designer thinking?

Comment by P A Nelson — February 17, 2007 @ 9:33 am

Douglas Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Paul,

Just what was the designer thinking?

One would think you had never heard of the Fall.

Comment by Douglas — February 17, 2007 @ 9:45 am

MatthewCromer Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 10:17 am
This study sheds a great deal of light on how and why people on opposing sides of a controversy are generally unable to see the evidence against their position.

Some money quotes:

"We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning," says Drew Westen, director of clinical psychology at Emory who led the study. "What we saw instead was a network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits hypothesized to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known to be involved in resolving conflicts." Westen and his colleagues will present their findings at the Annual Conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Jan. 28.

Once partisans had come to completely biased conclusions — essentially finding ways to ignore information that could not be rationally discounted — not only did circuits that mediate negative emotions like sadness and disgust turn off, but subjects got a blast of activation in circuits involved in reward — similar to what addicts receive when they get their fix, Westen explains.

"None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged," says Westen. "Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want, and then they get massively reinforced for it, with the elimination of negative emotional states and activation of positive ones."

. . .

While reasoning about apparent contradictions for their own candidate, partisans showed activations throughout the orbital frontal cortex, indicating emotional processing and presumably emotion regulation strategies. There also were activations in areas of the brain associated with the experience of unpleasant emotions, the processing of emotion and conflict, and judgments of forgiveness and moral accountability.

Notably absent were any increases in activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain most associated with reasoning (as well as conscious efforts to suppress emotion). The finding suggests that the emotion-driven processes that lead to biased judgments likely occur outside of awareness, and are distinct from normal reasoning processes when emotion is not so heavily engaged, says Westen.

The investigators hypothesize that emotionally biased reasoning leads to the "stamping in" or reinforcement of a defensive belief, associating the participant's "revisionist" account of the data with positive emotion or relief and elimination of distress. "The result is that partisan beliefs are calcified, and the person can learn very little from new data," Westen says.

Comment by MatthewCromer — February 17, 2007 @ 10:17 am

Salvador T. Cordova Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Allen MacNeill began an inquiry into the idea that certain people are pre-disposed to like ID. By way of extension, there would be people pre-disposed in the opposite direction.

I actually agreed with him. I suspect this can be empirically demonstrated.

I can't recall where, but the critics seemed to be intrested in this research as well. Perhaps with the hope that they could cure this malady. Did I see it in one of the Richard Dawkins websites?

As you pointed out though, even Dennett's own investigation suggests that on average people sympathetic to ID are more reproductively fit, and thus from the stand point of natural selection, ID might prevail as paradigm.

Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — February 17, 2007 @ 12:50 pm

Joy Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Huh. I always loved Brussels sprouts! They made me feel like the Jolly Green Giant (and were much tastier than peas). Of course, Mom always steamed them, then immersed in a garlic and butter sauce that was out of this world. Yum, yum!

Comment by Joy — February 17, 2007 @ 12:56 pm

Bradford Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
But the real puzzle is lima beans. Why, oh why, do lima beans exist? Starting with the unspeakably perverse dish "succotash" (lima beans + corn: now there's a recipe from the Depths of Hell cookbook), lima beans ruin every meal in which they make an appearance.

Paul Nelson is not wrong often but I have to call it when he is. Lima beans are delicious and help to regulate outgoing traffic.

Just what was the designer thinking?

He probably wishes you would compartmentalize your lima beans or at least designate them for assignment, preferably in the direction of someone like me. OTOH, brussel sprouts build character.

Comment by Bradford — February 17, 2007 @ 3:57 pm

keiths Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Paul Nelson:

Why, oh why, do lima beans exist? …Just what was the designer thinking?

Douglas:

One would think you had never heard of the Fall.

Douglas,
What were lima beans like before the Fall? Did the lima lie down with the yam?

Comment by keiths — February 17, 2007 @ 8:09 pm

Bilbo Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Did the lima lie down with the yam?

Groan.

Comment by Bilbo — February 17, 2007 @ 8:14 pm

Douglas Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
keiths,

What were lima beans like before the Fall? Did the lima lie down with the yam?

Alright, I'm pretty sure I never agree with you on anything, but that was one clever pun. You make me sick.

Comment by Douglas — February 17, 2007 @ 8:49 pm

William Brookfield Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Hello everyone, great blog!
Here is a link to..

"Attack of the Sprouts!" — http://www.eyegas.com/xmas05/

Hope you all enjoy it! Yum!

Comment by William Brookfield — February 17, 2007 @ 9:07 pm

MikeGene Says:
February 18th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Matthew,

Thank you for providing that link! I will probably devote a blog to it, as it is clearly relevant to the debates about ID. In fact, I'm not sure how anyone could deny this, given that both sides connect this debate with larger socio-political goals. We can also apply it to people like Harris and Dawkins, as they have clearly connected atheism with socio-political goals.

Comment by MikeGene — February 18, 2007 @ 5:30 am

Douglas Says:
February 18th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Mike,

Okay, you had me worried there for a minute. I thought you were talking about William's link, until I realized you were addressing Matthew.

Comment by Douglas — February 18, 2007 @ 7:51 am

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Brussels sprouts and ID

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