From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!utcsri!rpi!uwm.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert Mon Oct 19 16:59:28 EDT 1992
Article 7295 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert)
Subject: Re: Freewill, chaos and digital systems
Message-ID: <1992Oct15.183647.23851@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
References: <7614@skye.ed.ac.uk> <1992Sep30.200231.2428@mp.cs.niu.edu> <7724@skye.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 18:36:47 GMT
Lines: 34

In article <7724@skye.ed.ac.uk> jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton) writes:
jd>nr = rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert)
jd>jd = jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)

jd> I can agree that thoughts happen in the (physical) brain.  But I
jd> don't agree that the decision event happens in thoughts.  Instead,
jd> the decision is _given to_ your consciousness in thoughts.  The actual
jd> decision is determined by some unconscious process.

nr> I disagree, but perhaps this is a quibble about words.  I would say that
nr> the decision is made in your thoughts, but the unconscious processes
nr> have constrained the choices available in that decision.

jd>If the decision is made in thoughts, it looks to me like you
jd>must be taking "thoughts" as including at least some of the
jd>unconscious processes I've been talking about.

Well, thoughts involve chemical reactions in the brain (and elsewhere)
that we are not usually conscious about.  I realize this was not quite
your meaning.  But I don't see how you can make a separation and treat
thoughts as only conscious, without adopting some type of dualist view.

jd>                                                And so my point
jd>is that it's far from clear that all of this, taken together,
jd>amounts to freedom.  Moreover, with a fairly small shift in
jd>perspective in introspection it can seem that decisions are
jd>given to us (presumably by unconscious processes we know little
jd>about and not by space aliens) rather than made.

But then you must ask yourself why we have consciousness.  What purpose
does it serve the organism that would cause consciousness to evolve, if
it is really all just a sham?  If freedom of choice is a complete
illusion, then consciousness would seem to serve no purpose.



