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From: rfvetter@ridgecrest.ca.us (Ronald F. Vetter)
Subject: Re: The only acceptable def. of Free Will
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Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 16:05:21 GMT
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In article <4ficcp$ebu@news.sas.ab.ca>, grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca ()
wrote:

snip
> WHEN is the decision made, to use a particular strategy.
> 
> It is the dichotomy between when we "THINK" we made the decision, and when
> it was actually formulated, that is the basis of all this discussion.
> 
> Tests have suggested, that we do not make decisions in REAL TIME very often,
> instead we respond BEFORE we think. With a strategy selected at some point in
> the past.
> 
> This is counter to our perception which is that we CHOSE to respond at the
> time of response.
> 
> But if you think about it, it is a GREAT strategy, for reducing the COST
> of real time responses.
> 
> So we might have FREE WILL in that we selected the strategy, but we don't
> in that the strategy will not always be an exact fit to the stimulus, since
> we can only predict a certain number of different options, and develop
> strategies for them.
> 
> The question becomes WHEN did we lay in the strategy?
> 
> If we laid it in, during a childhood temper tantrum, we are in trouble
> when our response suddenly results in a "childish act". If we are limited
> due to Impulsiveness to actions that do not make sense, or to not be able
> to do an action, the result is similar to being constrained against a
> proper response.
> 
> My feeling is that this model is too complex to be called FREE will
> but nothing less is needed to deal with the complexity of the real Mind.


I find this to be about pre-cognitive responses - rather than about
cognitive responses.  I consider the "automatic" or habituated response
not related to cognitive thinking response.  The latter would be involved
in making free will choices to re-consider our earlier-learned or
automatic response.
ron    in Ridgecrest, CA
http://www1.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter/
