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Philosophy, Religion & Society / Re: Who created god?
« on: May 01, 2019, 10:45:39 AM »
Also, and interesting aside: modern neuroscience research has found that the parts of our brain associated with making decisions activate prior to the parts of our brain responsible for contemplating what decision to make. So it may be true that we actually decide what to do before we are aware of it - and our rational process simply operates to justify it. In doing so, we believe that the order is the other way and our decision comes as a result of the cognition.
But if this research is true, then free will is destroyed by a purely physical argument. We don’t intentionally choose anything, our choice is already made before we think about it.
Not necessarily. We have instinct and a first reaction. If we prick our finger, we jerk back in pain without thinking. If we suddenly see something scary, instinct will tell us to be afraid until our brains can process what it is and if we should fear it. Its all to keep us alive. To make our decision process in survival situations faster, if incomplete. Free will can still change what we do and you can relearn instinct.
Now those reactions are governed by our “reptilian” brain, and so do not involve rational thought at all. Hence, I would not consider them useful in a discussion about free-will.