> > > > I don't think anyone with knowledge of insect nervous systems would > argue that they're stateless machines. Even simple invertebrates such > as slugs can exhibit classical condition effects which means that at > least some minimal state is retained. > > To me the idea of free will suggests that a number of possible > behaviors can be triggered at any moment in time and that the system > in some way "chooses" between those possibilities. The system can > only move easily from one state to another if its dynamics are perched > on an edge between pure randomness and determinism. If any one > behavior is too strong an attractor then the system overall may become > dysfunctional.
I don't understand what you mean by "randomness". To people who believe in determinism, there is no true randomness. What you might mean randomness is "smooth distribution" or "lack of complexity". I am curious whether the same scientific method also would conclude that the following fractal tree, also has a consciousness? http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Fractal_tree_%28Plate_b_-_3%29.jpg<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Fractal_tree_(Plate_b_-_2).jpg> Do they mean that a system complex enough obtains free will? /R ----- This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to: http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=89412989-a5f2a7
