I'm not sure if a lack of empathy is the right way to describe it, as I think anyone who would just set off a bomb consciously wants to hurt people, whereas someone without empathy just doesn't relate to people.

It's true that empathy is directly associated with the size and structure of the anterior insular cortex. And most people have this part of the brain more developed than let's say one hundred years ago. So is it mental illness or pathological brain development? We can't really say. Psychiatry is on the breaking point of merging with modern neuro-science. It will be all sorted out in near future.

Yes, but thats my point. If you really relate to people, you cant hurt them like that.
I can uderstand someone snapping after 30 years of abusive marriage and one red moment later theyre standing above their downed tormentor still holding the frying pan, I for the life of me cannot fathom preparing and planning and then finally executing these plans to murder innocents. It strikes me as being very unempathetic.



Cant remember where, but while zapping through the channels this week I came upon a professor promoting his new book somewhere, in which he argued that we live in one of the most peaceful times in the history of human civilisation and that we only perceive it as being very violent because we have such excellent access to information from all over the world.
In medieval times a cityscape would not be complete without a public gibbet, he argued, and spectating the eventually lethal torture of undesirables was seen as a great way to spend the sunday with the kids. People were publicly hung, drawn and quartered then.
I cant remember the name of the man who wrote the book, but he argued that it was possible we are evolving as a species towards a less violent and more empathtic society.

Extremists aren't defined by sociopathy (although that can certainly can be a part of it), but by stupid worldviews that promote antipathy for those not like them. There's a reason Breivik wasn't considered insane by mental health professionals.

unempathetic would just be someone who doesn't care about anyone, not someone who wants to hurt people.

The lack of a 'cause' that they've pushed is why I'm thinking sociopathy, at this point who knows though.

Finally managed to get a nap in. It's still going, eh? Not too much new info yet...time to get back on twitter.

I hope they don't.. Interrogate him. There may be other conspirators who will get away on this if both die.

Youre misunderstanding the meaning of empathetic, Im afraid. Empathy relates to being able to place yourself in someone elses shoes, to see the world through their eyes, feel what they feel.
Someone with a severe lack of empathy has difficulty understanding that hurting other people is bad, because in a very real sense they are not ′real people′ to him, as they would be to you or I.
A sociopath for instance has as a characteristic the inability to relate to other people, a stunted, dulled or underdeveloped sense of empathy.

It's called "The better Angels of our Nature" by Steven Pinker. A very good read. Basically he tells you if WW2 was fought with the brain capability of for example Khurgan people we would wipe ourselfs from the face of the planet.

There is a difference between not understanding hurting, and wanting to cause hurt. This is getting a bit too off topic now though.

I hear Boston is under some sort of lockdown. Is that correct ? It seems completely surreal somehow.

Ah, thank you /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
Ill put it on my 'must read' list.

Police are telling people to stay inside their homes, I think they set off a controlled explosion of a bomb they found as well.

Also get The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley. /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Not long ago, maybe two months tops, police busted a guy manufacturing bombs in my town. He was going to set it off on a major street. They detonated the bomb not far from my house, in a quarry. I wonder how many similar stories are out there, not being reported on. How often are things like this averted?

Listening to the scanner and reading the live feed updates from Reddit is pretty intense. Good thing I am off tomorrow! /laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':laugh:' />

Not to make light, but Washington Post supposedly confirmed/discovered his twitter handle. Assuming true, I offer to adopt his poor cat if she needs a new home. Not her fault her owner was a sick madman....

Until you discover the cat was behind the entire plot.

Hm. Her eyes do look a tad too Puss N Boots "innocent." /wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

...more seriously, this is the point where I really can't stand TV news. "Up next, we've discovered someone who knows someone who may know someone who may have seen the suspect last Valentine's Day." /whistling.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' /> I know this is one of the biggest manhunts etc. in recent history but if there's not too much to report minute to minute they could run their regular programming and just break-in if some big update is in progress.

She knows things.


I find the interviews with various family members quite interesting, with the different opinions and views of the relatives they have.

Many of them seem to think they've been framed. Should give the infowars guys plenty to talk about.

Alex Jones.... I think he may be a member here too /tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':P' />

I think it was the father, mother and aunt are claiming the US government set them up, but IIRC, the Uncle was saying how they brought shame on their family. Perhaps they are just grief stricken. =/

Of course the family members will be in denial, some till the bitter end. But the evidence against these suspects is damning. No getting around it. I mean they have the older brother in the morgue already.

From what I've read, it's only their relatives from overseas for whom english is a second language, so there is likely a fair amount getting lost in translation (coupled with the fact they will be in denial). Their uncle who lives in America has basically said they're both dead to him and has apologised for their behaviour, seems like a good guy and it's a shame he's had to go through this just because he's related to some nutjobs.