Traditionally, we have viewed will as being completely consciously motivated, meaning that our actions towards a goal are initiated by us, via our mind. A study a couple of decades ago showed that before a decision was made to engage in a motor action, there was measurable neuronal activity. This indicated that the signal to move preceded the awareness of it, hinting at subconscious or unconscious will. It paved the way for further studies in the area. However, because I am in no way an expert in this field, I am just going to stop there.
I should point out that this does not mean that all will is subconscious or unconscious. It just means that part of it can be explained by subconscious means.
This post was predicated by a review I saw earlier today in Science Magazine on The Unconscious Will: How the Pursuit of Goals Operates Outside of Conscious Awareness. It is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but I’m sure it will provide a great background for those interested.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/329/5987/47
Alright, let’s get to the reason for this post. I’ve got some questions for the reader… Are you afraid because seemingly conscious activities can now be explained by the subconscious or unconscious? Does this affect your self-identity? Your faith? Do you think ultimately all decisions, behaviors, and actions will be determined to be subconscious or unconscious? And if so, does this mean that there is no free will? Heavy, I know, but certainly worth thinking about and discussing. I’ll leave my thoughts to myself for the time being because I want to hear what others think.
For a little more information, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience_of_free_will#cite_note-2
The initial studies that I’m speaking of are listed here (courtesy of Wikipedia link above)
# ^ a b Libet, B., Gleason, C.A., Wright, E.W., Pearl, D.K. (1983). Time of conscious intention to act in relation to onset of cerebral activity (readiness-potential). The unconscious initiation of a freely voluntary act. Brain. 106 (3):623–642. PMID 6640273
# ^ Libet, B. (1985) Unconscious cerebral initiative and the role of conscious will in voluntary action. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 8: 529–566.
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What you’re saying is that our decisions have all been predetermined before the thought occurs in our mind? What about the thought occurring and reasoning your way out of doing an action? Wouldn’t morals come into play then? The struggle to do what you believe is right vs. what society considers truth?
Meta,
Nope, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that some components of the decision making process are likely to be unconscious/subconscious. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have free will or free “won’t” as some call it. But I did want to see what others felt…
When i started to think about that i thoutht like if everybody does things autmoticaly without thinking and having conscious we are all the same. But then i was like if we are the same why we are so diferent in our behavior. Well i don´t really know, but i think that maybe our individuality cames from our exeperiences on life and then our way to do and think about staff start to change and sudently we start to have our own conscious. Problably sometimes we behavior just like oder people but the important isn´t our behavior; is what we think about it. So i don´t care if in my subconcious i am like everybody and becouse of that sometimes i have a typical behavior. What i care about is what i think and fell we i am doing something.
The subconscious can be brought into the conscious mind, but it is so fast and in images that it takes time for the mind to translate it into words. You wouldn’t say you didn’t have free will when you use a calculator. The mind thinks in images while we think in words, consciously. It calculates answers like a calculator calculates numbers. We can accept or reject them.
If that’s free or not, I don’t know. Emotions, beliefs and preferences seem to get in there too. The mind will tell you how it does the calculation and figures our answers that it doesn’t know from what it does and will even ask you for more information. At least that is my personal experience.
It isn’t very biased either. It compares all sides that it can pick up any way it can. More education, personal or otherwise, and experiences give it many sides to look at and gets you the best read out. It know what you want, so it already has your preferences, but you are the decider. Are those the things you were wondering?