The lizard brain

    As I was reading Seth Godin's Linchpin today, chapter seven's discussion on what he calls "the resistance" brought to mind Dawkins selfish gene. Godin makes the argument that what makes it hard for an individual to become an "artist" (as he defines one) or someone who takes on challenge, and develops new ideas is actually biological. What he calls "the lizard brain," which he is actually referring to our limbic system, is what controls our basic functions for survival such as fear, anger, sex, and revenge. He makes an interesting argument about how the resistance is in constant battle in our daily lives to help keep us safe from making dangerous choices that might lower our chance of job security or our standard of living for example.
    What I found to be interesting is how this idea can be tied loosely with some of what is argued by Dawkins in The Selfish Gene. Evolutionarily speaking, our more basic brain functions had come along to combat a fiercely competitive environment of predators and prey. An animals best chance for survival would depend on its alertness and its quickness of reaction, "the lizard brain only wants to eat and be safe." If an organism were to take increased chances in daily life, thus too would its chances to fail increase. For Dawkins (and for evolutionary biologist for that matter), the goal is to stay alive and reproduce in order to pass on one's genes. Our genes have evolved the basics of what makes a brain useful and competitive, it allows an organism to react most effectively to its environment.
    What Godin is trying to get at though, is that humans in modern societies need to recognize that the limbic system remains a strong force in our lives. It tells us to stay safe and do what we're told, to stay as average as possible to ensure a safe life. Our role as a "linchpin" is to know when it has control over us and our creativity so that we can be unbounded in our art.