On the Soapbox

First, I heard this on the radio this morning; it is about a study that scientists conducted on sensory input: (full story from NPR)

Nitschke was able to ultimately conclude that the brain acts differently when it anticipates a sensation as compared to when it experiences a sensation unexpectedly. Sensory input could be largely based on perceptions of, say, fear or joy, rather than on reality.

I wonder what the philosophers would have to say about this in relation to epistemology.

In other news, earlier this week, it was reported that a study that demonstrated what would appear to be altruistic behavior by infants (18 months old) and by chimpanzees in the form of assisting others. The article contains more details. Because the subjects are not likely to have received moral and social education, this seems to imply that there may be a degree of inherent altruism. So much for Hobbes' view of the state of nature.