Prof. Gerhard Roth, University of Bremen, Germany
عالم ألماني يعثر في الدماغ على "وكر شيطاني" يوسوس بالشر
German scholar has discovered the " seat of devil " in human brain from where the evil is being suggested.
هناك 3 أنواع ممن لديهم "وكر" تنبع منه المحرّضات على العنف وأخطرهم الطغاة
There are three categories of [such] " seats " from where originate the [provocation] of violence and the [dangers of tyranny].
[Source;
Al-Arabiya on February 8, 2013]
Editor's Note:
I was very much astonished to find a German scholar of humanistic background in the headlines of an Arabic newspaper. However, it is his fascinating theory on the
origin of diabolic thought which has caught the interest of journalists in an Islamic country. From reading the Coran I got some idea about the role of "diabolic thinking" in Muslim belief. Now, there is somebody telling them that "devil" is part of everybody, and he even dares to point to a certain area of brain considered as his seat. From there, it is only a small step to assume that such
"incorporated devil" will control everybody's action and thought, making any
"free decision" in support of or against the rules of Allah (i.e. God) to become a mere result of interacting factors that are supporting or endangering the vital functions of the body and its general well-being. If that well-being can only be ensured by denying moral laws and turning a blind eye on all kinds of crimes, the "devilish authority within" will most certainly take over. Such is the consequence of a fully
deterministic theory of human behaviour, ... and we finally reach the undisputed truth of
Karl Marx: The state of being determines the state of consciousness. Same goes with the more physical experience of the
Pawlow dog who reacts according to brain stimulation.
However, everybody should know, if not from personal experience but from neutral observation of others, that such deterministic point of view has only
half the truth. Indeed, some people are opposing the
"devil's decision" and acting against it, while knowing well enough that such behaviour will, sooner or later, affect their physical well-being in a rather negative way. As a proof, we can quote outstanding human behaviour under pressure as can be found on the battle field, during torture or in any other situation characterized by personal distress.
Now, it becomes clear that
individual choices are still possible, - within certain boundaries of physical integrity, I agree. The proposed "seat of devil" in human brain might then be one possible
strategic center where some of such choices are being processed. It could be a place where refined strategies of action are being developed and an evaluation of possible consequences takes place. Whether some
action and its consequences are to be considered as "devilish", will then depend on the goal intended to reach and the measures to be taken. Personal
goals and suited measures necessary to apply will further depend on the
moral background of a person which is a function of education and daily life experience, something that can be influenced from the outside of human brain.
Any
extreme human behaviour, however, characterized by violence, aggression and despotism, and that could be related to a prevailing influence of the above mentioned brain segments should then be regarded as what it is, - a
mental disorder. Nothing devilish or mysterious about it. Don't let them enjoy your fear.
By the way, I should add that
Gerhard Roth's deterministic theory has not been applauded by every specialist on this field of neurology. Nevertheless, he is accepted as an important member of the scientific community in Germany and has even received a high national decoration.
"Now, Verily, it is We who have created man, and
We know what his innermost self whispers with him:
for We are closer to him than his neck-vein."
[Quran 50:16]
" But as for anyone who chooses to remain blind
to the remembrance of the Most Gracious,
to him We assign an [enduring] evil impulse,
to become his other self : " [Quran 43:36]
" whereupon, behold, these [evil impulses]
bar all such from the path [of truth],
making them think that they are
guided aright ! " [Quran 43:37]
Early Understanding of Brain Functions in the World of Islam
Al-Harith ibn Kaladah (Arabic:
الحارث بن كلدة; deceased 13 AH / 634–35 AD) was, according to traditional sources, the
oldest known Arab physician and a
companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (deceased 632 AD). He is said to have traveled to Jundishapur, a legendary medical school in Persia, in search of medical knowledge before the advent of Islam. There, he might have received even some basic understanding of brain surgery.
Some are saying that the Prophet's knowledge about medicine can be related to ibn Kalandah. This, however, might be regarded by orthodox Muslims as a blasphemic interpretation of the historical facts. Furthermore, such theory cannot stand scientific approach as one of the few detailed evaluations of ibn Kalandah is stating [=> al-Khazarajî / Kareem], referring to him as a healer who practised traditional Arabic plant and folk medicine rather than sophisticated medicine related to the inheritance of earlier Greek physicians like Hippocrates, Galen or Dioscurides.
Greek influence on Arabic medicine became visible only some 200 years later after the Coran was delivered by Prophet Muhammad. This is most probably due to the fact that Arabic was a rather "new" language at the time of the Prophet, its scripture being perfected around 600 AD. As a result,
reliable translations from Greek to Arabic should have come into being only much later when some essential works of ancient Greek medicine, like that of Dioscurides, only survived in the Arabic transcription.
Nevertheless, it cannot be excluded that some miraculous legends on brain surgery and brain functions reached the steadily growing Islamic community much earlier. This, however, should not necessarily imply an influence on the Prophet's perception of brain functioning.
[Main source: Was al-Harith bin Kaladah the Source of Prophet Muhammad’s Medical Knowledge ?; authors: Khalid al-Khazarajî and Elias Kareem; October 26, 2011; update: February 10, 2012; hosted at IslamPapers.com]
In fact, the Greek physician Hippocrates of Kos (460–377 BC) already had a thorough understanding of the human body and, in particular, the brain. He believed that the body must be treated as a whole and not just a series of parts. He was the first physician to assert that thoughts, ideas and feelings come from the brain and not the heart as others of his time believed. He recognized that the brain was involved in sensation and was the center of intelligence.
Hippocrates accurately described disease symptoms and was the first physician to note the symptoms of epilepsy in children. He wrote the first book on epilepsy, "On the Sacred Disease". Refuting the idea that epilepsy is a curse or a prophetic power, as was previously believed, he states that it's a brain disorder. "It is thus with regard to the disease called Sacred: it appears to me to be nowise more divine nor more sacred than other diseases, but has a natural cause like other affections."
[Main source: Hippocrates' Influence on the Origins of Neurosurgery; authors: Anna Chang, BS, Eleonora M. Lad, MD, PhD, Shivanand P. Lad, MD, PhDDisclosures: Neurosurg Focus. 2007;23(1):E9]
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