On Mar 14, 4:49 pm, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> wrote: > On Mar 14, 10:44 am, Stathis Papaioannou <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 9:00 AM, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > >http://pss.sagepub.com/content/22/5/613.abstract > > > > Abstract > > > > The feeling of being in control of one’s own actions is a > > > strong subjective experience. However, discoveries in psychology and > > > neuroscience challenge the validity of this experience and suggest > > > that free will is just an illusion. This raises a question: What would > > > happen if people started to disbelieve in free will? Previous research > > > has shown that low control beliefs affect performance and motivation. > > > Recently, it has been shown that undermining free-will beliefs > > > influences social behavior. In the study reported here, we > > > investigated whether undermining beliefs in free will affects brain > > > correlates of voluntary motor preparation. Our results showed that the > > > readiness potential was reduced in individuals induced to disbelieve > > > in free will. This effect was evident more than 1 s before > > > participants consciously decided to move, a finding that suggests that > > > the manipulation influenced intentional actions at preconscious > > > stages. Our findings indicate that abstract belief systems might have > > > a much more fundamental effect than previously thought. > > > > Has anyone posted this yet? Hard to explain what brain correlates are > > > doing responding to an illusion... > > > You might be able to show that people who believe in an afterlife are > > more relaxed when faced with death. There are recognised neurological > > correlates of relaxation. Would it thereby follow that there is in > > fact an afterlife? > > The concept of an afterlife is a perfectly reasonable thing to be able > to imagine, since we are born and have a life, it is not a problem to > imagine that we could continue to have a life even after this one > ends. This is not the case with free will. Hypnotizing a computer to > think it has 'free will' will not result in any changes in its > processing,
Programmign a computer to believe in FW is a change in its programming > since for a computer there is no possible difference > between voluntary action and automatic action. "voluntary" could mean "controlled determinsitcally by higher brain centres". > For us there is a > tremendously significant and obvious difference. > > Craig -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
