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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Now Presenting...Free Will!
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How does the knowledge of free will induce the belief of free will?
ReplyDeleteTwo ways of knowing:
Reasoning: In the experiment first mentioned at the top of this article, Maria uses reasoning to wrap her mind around the way Benjamin explain the 550ms prior to the initiation of any action. She remarks on how it would “make a whole lot of sense” since the brain needs time to prepare its presentation of the action.
Experience: In the article, the experience of the people who belief in free will was experimentally reduced, was that of reduced reaction speeds. This experience to them may be positive or negative. The positive experience would be taken as, the more time to taken to analyze to action is beneficial to the effect that it may have on others around. The positive experience people are those that believe that free will does not exist and some higher power is controlling their thoughts and actions. The negative, of people who do believe in free will, effect would be that they are concerned too much with what some higher power wants them to do and how they want them to live their life rather than that individual believing that they have total control over what they think and react to.
Knowledge Question: How does belief affect circumstance?
ReplyDeleteTwo ways of knowing:
Sense perception: the article stated that Benjamin Libet observed readiness potential in the brain 550ms before the action was carried out. Observation requires the ability to see (directly looking at a brain or at a person's actions). Therefore, Benjamin Libet used sense perception as a way of knowing.
Reasoning: the article stated that philosophical conclusions had been drawn from Libet's works and discoveries. In order for people to make conclusions, they need to study the facts before them. They need to use reasoning and logic to understand the facts, the connections between them, and what they prove. Therefore, people who drew those philosophical conclusions had to have used reasoning as a way of knowing.
ReplyDeleteIf we believe in free will, how much of it actually is free if our brains control everything?
Two ways of knowing-
There is a window of opportunity when we are aware of the action but have not acted upon in, and this is the chance where we can change or decide to stop what we are going to do.
Our brains need time to prepare and since our brains are prepared to act over half a second before we do, we can be aware that we are planning.
Knowledge Question:
ReplyDeleteTo what extent is our belief a free will?
Two Ways of Knowing:
Reason:
In the first paragraph of the article, the authors says that the pre-conscious preparation of people who do not believe free will is delayed more than one second compare to those who believe free will. By using that data, the author comes to the conclusion that what we believe affects our neural action in the brain.
Emotion:
In the article, it says that Benjamin Libet's work of free will remains "contentious", which means that people have different emotions about it. Some people may agree with it, but others can be very mad at it.
Knowledge Question-
ReplyDeleteTo what extent does the belief in free will change the content and our opinions of the decision?
Ways of knowing-
1)With reasoning Libet observed the possibility of the brain’s readiness potential.
2)The article described that a person’s belief in/emotions towards the idea of free will can change their RP.
KQ: Does free will really exist if we are not conscious of the window of opportunity afforded us to exercise it, given how much belief and knowledge affect us?
ReplyDeleteWOK:
Reasoning - This article is mostly based on drawing conclusions from the work of other scientists, scientists who studied and collected dated. Logical data. Basing this on cold, hard, facts makes reason one way of knowing which stems from this article.
Sense Perception - The article discusses an unconscious window before an action is carried out by your brain in which you have the free will to stop it. In order to be aware of this window and use it, we must perceive, through our senses, exactly what it is we want to do.
If free will did not exist, how would that change the order of civilization?
ReplyDeleteConsciousness is essential to knowing. Consciousness makes us aware of what we know. In order to consume knowledge, you must be conscious. You become knowledgeable by being conscious. You become conscious of a matter only when you are first and foremost, conscious. It is the most basic way of knowing because all others such as the senses lead back up to consciousness. The article in its entirety is based on Libet’s study of conscious awareness. This article tells us that 350-400 ms after RP began is when we, as humans, have been made aware of their action intention. This is when we become conscious of our brain’s decision and are able to redirect the intended action before we actually act. It seems that free will lies in consciousness.
Willingness is also essential way of knowing. Most of the time, what you come to know comes because of a will to know, or at least a welcoming. The author of the article, Robin Varghese, describes that 350-400 ms after RP has begun as a window of opportunity and a crucial time. He or she says, “volitional action is initiated in a preconscious stage, yes, but we do have a window of opportunity…when we are already aware of the action but have not yet acted, should we wish to change, stop, or otherwise redirect that action.” Volitional action is the focus point throughout this article. Much of what you will know depends largely on the will you have to know.