Interesting position on Free Will

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29 Sep 2009, 4:06 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cSgVgrC-6Y[/youtube]

This presentation is about an hour long (it ends at about 1:08 ), so if you're interested you could take a look. Daniel Dennet has some good points about Free Will in a Deterministic Universe. I think it was quite entertaining and thought provoking, myself.

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skafather84
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29 Sep 2009, 4:14 pm

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... r-all.html

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zer0netgain
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30 Sep 2009, 7:58 am

Are we talking biologically or metaphysically?

I'm not surprised that on a biological level we decide to act before the conscious thought to act takes place. What...around 90% or more of our brain function happens at a sub-conscious level? If we had to consciously think in order to do anything, we'd drop dead where we stand.

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30 Sep 2009, 10:48 am

skafather84 wrote:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17835-free-will-is-not-an-illusion-after-all.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg1 ... -them.html

.

sartresue
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30 Sep 2009, 11:00 am

Writing my own will topic

And while I was visiting the link, I chose to investigate Tyrannosaurus Sue's dental problems and the final answer to the curse (cause) of an Egyptian mummy's death. (There is an interesting, waxy [though yucky :eew: ] substance enveloping her body and I believe it is adipocere, the same substance found on the Mutter Museum's Soap lady's mummy.)

Now I have a fairly good idea why the ancient Egyptians developed and used the mummification process, but at least we have two instances of what can happen to a body buried without preparation and if the right bacteria are involved.

Love those choices!

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skafather84
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30 Sep 2009, 4:16 pm

ouinon wrote:

skafather84 wrote:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17835-free-will-is-not-an-illusion-after-all.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg1 ... -them.html

.

My article is newer and covers that they tested with a different variable/came up with a new method.

MissConstrue
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30 Sep 2009, 5:31 pm

skafather84 wrote:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17835-free-will-is-not-an-illusion-after-all.html

Fascinating.

But why does the title of the article say Free Will is not an Illusion afterall....

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skafather84
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30 Sep 2009, 5:59 pm

MissConstrue wrote:

skafather84 wrote:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17835-free-will-is-not-an-illusion-after-all.html

Fascinating.

But why does the title of the article say Free Will is not an Illusion afterall....

Because of previous studies done on the matter that says otherwise.

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01 Oct 2009, 12:44 pm

I finally found time to listen to the whole lecture and the last question from the audience evoked the answer from Dennett that he was not denying determinism but, insofar as I could discover, still proclaimed out of thin air that we still have free will. Without any explanation I could discover.

skafather84
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01 Oct 2009, 12:49 pm

Sand wrote:

Because we're programmed to say we have free will, of course.

claire-333
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01 Oct 2009, 9:07 pm

I have been wanting to watch this since it was posted, but I have trouble sitting through programs and sometimes go months without tv. It looks like something I would find really interesting, but I cannot bring myself to watch it. Can someone summarize? Is this similar to the links provided by skafather and ouinon?

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01 Oct 2009, 9:24 pm

claire333 wrote:

Basically it is a strong effort to accept both determinism and free will and it seems to me it fails.

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01 Oct 2009, 9:45 pm

Sand wrote:

Basically it is a strong effort to accept both determinism and free will and it seems to me it fails.

Like in the way compatabalism accepts both by adjusting the definition of what is free and what it pre-determined? I am unable grasp compatabalism myself, but I can be stubborn about these things.

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01 Oct 2009, 10:04 pm

Sand wrote:

claire333 wrote:

Basically it is a strong effort to accept both determinism and free will and it seems to me it fails.

Unless we accept our collective role as the only god(s) this planet will ever know. Flawed but still able to affect (vast) changes and determine and judge what changes to be made.

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01 Oct 2009, 10:47 pm

skafather84 wrote:

Sand wrote:

claire333 wrote:

Basically it is a strong effort to accept both determinism and free will and it seems to me it fails.

Unless we accept our collective role as the only god(s) this planet will ever know. Flawed but still able to affect (vast) changes and determine and judge what changes to be made.

Bacteria and plant life are quite effective at that also with no hubris about being gods.

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01 Oct 2009, 10:52 pm

Sand wrote:

skafather84 wrote:

Sand wrote:

claire333 wrote:

Basically it is a strong effort to accept both determinism and free will and it seems to me it fails.

Unless we accept our collective role as the only god(s) this planet will ever know. Flawed but still able to affect (vast) changes and determine and judge what changes to be made.

Bacteria and plant life are quite effective at that also with no hubris about being gods.

Exactly.

edit: or do you wish to be a plant?

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