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[Uchiha Madara]

What are your thoughts on Free Will? Does it exist?  If it does or does not, how should that impact humanity (in your opinion of course)? Is determinism true? Compatibilism?

[Raifudo Oppa]

Yes

[Lazy Oogakari, Steel]

Meh.

[Eric]

What are your thoughts on Free Will? Does it exist?  If it does or does not, how should that impact humanity (in your opinion of course)? Is determinism true? Compatibilism?

Free will exists. The trouble is so does Natural Law. 2 + 2 = 4. Unless you redefine 2 and/or 4 and/or the operation of addition and/or the the meaning of =, then that will be the case regardless of your will. But whether you will take a dump in a your toilet or on your floor is certainly free will, unless you are physically incapable of doing one, the other, or both.

[Uchiha Madara]

What do you think of experiments such as Benjamin Libet and a few others? The gist of the experiments shows that unconscious brain activity starts before conscious activity, then of course the action follows.   

[Eric]

What do you think of experiments such as Benjamin Libet and a few others? The gist of the experiments shows that unconscious brain activity starts before conscious activity, then of course the action follows.

Thought is pretty abstract if you want to get to the science of it. Makes sense that alot of subconscious stuff happens first, because communication in the brain and throughout the body is mostly subconscious, occasionally directed by a conscious decision. The impulses, the channels that open and close, homeostasis itself all happens on a level that we don't think about on a daily basis.

[Ѕhadow]

If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.

--

As for free will, yes. Of course it exists. I'm typing this of free will. No one has to do anything they don't want to under normal circumstances.

[Uchiha Madara]

What do you think of experiments such as Benjamin Libet and a few others? The gist of the experiments shows that unconscious brain activity starts before conscious activity, then of course the action follows.

Thought is pretty abstract if you want to get to the science of it. Makes sense that alot of subconscious stuff happens first, because communication in the brain and throughout the body is mostly subconscious, occasionally directed by a conscious decision. The impulses, the channels that open and close, homeostasis itself all happens on a level that we don't think about on a daily basis.

Nothing is abstract about neurons firing. That is mostly my point though. With all that, how do we know free will exists, if everything about us, including thought, happens first in an uncontrollable realm?

If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.

--

As for free will, yes. Of course it exists. I'm typing this of free will. No one has to do anything they don't want to under normal circumstances.

But does merely having the possibility make the case so? For example, say there was a clone Earth somewhere far off. Clone you has the exact same experiences, exact same environment, etc. Does clone you still have the ability NOT to type? I say, why would he?

[Ѕhadow]

What do you think of experiments such as Benjamin Libet and a few others? The gist of the experiments shows that unconscious brain activity starts before conscious activity, then of course the action follows.

Thought is pretty abstract if you want to get to the science of it. Makes sense that alot of subconscious stuff happens first, because communication in the brain and throughout the body is mostly subconscious, occasionally directed by a conscious decision. The impulses, the channels that open and close, homeostasis itself all happens on a level that we don't think about on a daily basis.

Nothing is abstract about neurons firing. That is mostly my point though. With all that, how do we know free will exists, if everything about us, including thought, happens first in an uncontrollable realm?

The very thought of neurons is abstract. Do you know how tiny those things are? Yes they are abstract. Very much so.

Who says it happens in an uncontrollable realm? A few tests? We don't know if that's truth or not.

Each of us lives dependent and bound by our individual knowledge and our awareness. All that is what we call reality. However, both, knowledge and awareness, are equivocal. One’s reality might be another’s illusion. We all live inside our own fantasies.

[Uchiha Madara]

Folks who work in the field of neurobiology think so (mind you i'm just playing the devil's advocate here to get people thinking).

"A person's conscious thoughts, intentions, and efforts at every moment are preceded by causes of which he is unaware. What is more, they are preceded by deep causes — genes, childhood experience, etc..." - Sam Harris

To that last statement, doesn't it kinda confirm the skepticism i'm putting out? You can't say if you don't know, and if you don't know, what is most likely the case?

[Genesis]

Born too late to explore the earth. Born too soon to explore the galaxy. Born just in time to browse dank memes.

[Old Man Xia]

Its all in your head