New! - Phenotypical Destiny

by phil on Saturday Nov 8, 2003 11:22 AM
Idea Archive

Genotype: genes
Phenotype: the resulting human

Fine...

What about:
Genotype: psychological activities, thought spaces, meta-cognition..
Phenotype: destiny..

We have a science for the first one, but do we have a science for the second?

Neither of the genotypical nor phenotypical analysis of mind and destiny have even reached the cataloging stage. Some sample questions that progress here could answer: "What is the relationship between being 'laid back' and financial success" "What is the effect of setting a goal" "What conditions are necessary for someone to set a goal" "How does man manage to survive in the world despite being irrational" "Should we take the advice of succesful artists when they say that the _key_ is to 'pursue your passions'" "What are _keys_ and how do we use them"

If we are adverse to certain choices but can get used to them once we do, isn't there some arbitrariness? What should we do in those cases?

Are there optimal psychological paradigms that will maximize happiness? What mindset is even necessary to desire happiness?

Selfhelp gurus like Stephen Covey and Tony Robbins are like modern-day alchemists in this field since it's so immature. Even listening to the successful is not useful because they most of the time don't have true insight to how they went from A to B.

Unfortunately, a shocking conclusion from this kind of science may be that in the end we truly have much less control over our lives than we think. But even if that is the conclusion, it might offer us some hope on how we can exert more control.