On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 5:24 PM, John Clark <johnkcl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 1, 2013 Telmo Menezes <te...@telmomenezes.com> wrote:
>
>> > Free will is related to the issue of determinism -- could a very
>> > powerful computer precisely predict my
>> future behaviour?
>
>
> Yes, but only if the computer didn't tell me what it predicted beforehand,
> because then the computer's actions would effect my actions; and the
> computer can predict my actions but it can't predict its own.
Not necessarily, as Brent pointed out, but ok for many cases.
>> > And if not,
>
>
> If not then my actions could not be predicted because they happened for no
> reason, they were random.
Or because of the halting problem, since you assume that if your mind
is not random then it supervenes on a computation (and thus accept
comp).
>> > is there an "I" that has ultimate control over my decisions?
>
>
> If something ("I" or anything else) controlled my decisions then my
> decisions were deterministic. And if "I" pushed decisions down path X rather
> than path Y for a reason then "I" too is deterministic, and if "I" pushed
> decisions down path X rather than path Y for NO reason then "I" is random.
Yes, but is there a subset of the universe that contains your mind,
that is deterministic but that you can draw a "free will" border
around? That is to say, its actions ultimately depend on the internal
behaviour of this subsystem? I think this is what the free will issue
boils down to. What system in relation to what system are we talking
about? Considering everything as the system, of course there's no free
will.
>>
>> > In that case, what is this "I"?
>
>
> "I" is a set of memories modulated by a imperfect logical processor that
> works better in some directions than others; and perhaps most important, "I"
> is a particular set of likes and dislikes that in the English language is
> called "will". "Will" is not the problem, it's "free will" that's gibberish.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Answer-Riddle-Is-Me/dp/0547519273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378205282&sr=8-1&keywords=the+answer+to+the+riddle+is+me
Telmo.
> John K Clark
>
>
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