Brains that make revolutions: the neural theory in the French Revolutions (1789-99, 1848-51, 1870-71), Iran (1977-81) and Bolshevik (1917-1924)

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This paper work assesses the key aspects of a framework for research on revolutions. Our approach includes a heuristic based on an idea suggested by Marx in the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte: “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living”. From this maxim of Marx advance on conventional interpretations by postulating that the language and metaphors are a challenge in several respects: (1) The brain is a physical basis for understanding key political revolutions, (2) advances in neuroscience and language (Lakoff/Johnson/Narayanan) have allowed the reconstruction of conceptual frameworks in various fields, including philosophy, mathematics and politics (3) The language expressed in songs, text, flags, emblems, illustrations, slogans, speeches and rumors is key to represent and demonstrate loyalty to the idea of revolution and, more crucially, to “make” the revolution, (4) Metaphors are a powerful rational action in revolutionary processes. One interpretation of these can contribute to decipher, for example, how the brain are activated in neural systems that link past and present, how to operate the symbolic frameworks of language to influence political opinion, how metaphors interact with processes artificial simulation or how metaphors evolve in a revolution from simple metaphors.

Keywords: Revolutions; French Revolution; Iran Revolution; Russian Revolutions; Language; Neural Theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A1 A19 B0 B00 B1 B14 D7 D74 D8 D87 P3 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-10-14
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his and nep-hpe
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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/26276/1/MPRA_paper_26276.pdf revised version (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:25903

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