Angel Desai's blog

Throughout the course of the semester, the Bio 202 class has attempted to formulate an understanding between mechanisms of the brain and subsequent human behavior. One of the core areas of discussion has been the integrated action of neurons and its consequences on human accomplishment. Of particular interest is the way in which sensory stimulation from the external world can interrelate with groups of neurons and actually mediate change in an individual’s behavior. The book “Brain and Culture,” by Bruce E. Wexler takes the fundamental issues discussed in Bio 202 and applies them to larger ideological and socio-cultural

Throughout the course of this past semester, the Biology 202 class has attempted to reach an understanding regarding absolute truth in the face of multiple realities. The division between an individual’s personal reality and some greater unifying factor is a topic which is widely discussed in Vedanta literature as well. More specifically, certain Vedic practices advocate the belief that the soul is misled by matter and trapped in a state of illusion.[1] It

In “Re-imagining the Sacred Self,” any distinction between self and the I-function is dismissed as an illusion, based on scientific research and ancient Hindu scriptures. What was not discussed, however, was the possibility that this unified perception of an innate self may in fact be “conquered” through self-discipline. This belief stems from the teachings first elucidated in the Bhagavad Gita which tells the devotee that the individual who can master the self will reach

Personal identification and the self have long been considered points of debate relevant in philosophy and religious thought. Considered the central text of Hindu philosophy, the Bhagavad-Gita is a prime example of literature which concerns itself with the multitude of layers surrounding the study of the ego and an everlasting consciousness. The Gita states, “[a]s a man discards worn-out clothes to put on new and different ones, so the embodied Self discards its worn-out bodies to take