Yes, I realize I begin most of my posts with “There’s a great article in the New York Times,” but whatever. The Sunday NYT mag is great.

So, anyway, there’s a great article in the New York Times that talks about monogamy, behavior, and chemicals in the frontal lobe. Granted, it wasn’t in humans, it was in rodents, but still. We’re not *that* far off.

That such a “moral,” values-laden behavior such as morality can be influenced by a molecule floating in the brain gives me pause about free will, destiny, and chemical determinism. All those human qualities that I find so endearing… do they merely appear in my close friends because they have a certain proportion of neurotransmitters in their heads? Do I get along with some people because our neurotransmitters match up, or complement each other, while others just don’t?

I was just talking with my friend Carlos last night–he was telling me about a friend who is just so honest and transparent–you can just see her goodness in her eyes. But what is that? More of an honesty chemical in part of her brain? Here comes blasphemy: maybe we’re not souls, but different proportions of chemicals.

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