by danscott7 » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:31 pm
I have to disagree, as controversial as denying personal responsibility sounds.
Actions a person engages in begin in the subconscious, where we have no control. Recent studies have shown that most of the work and decision-making is already done and over with before it reaches our conscious, where it is said we do have control.
These studies have shown we have the appearance of free will, but not actually have free will.
Other studies have shown that when we say we chose this, or we decided that, it is simply the conscious mind attempting to sooth our ego. In other words, our actions are random and out of our control, followed by the conscious mind's attempts to impose a sense of control that isn't there, so we feel more at peace.
Many disagree, perhaps they have studies of their own, or perhaps they don't like to face the possibility that we really have no control as we think.
I agree. You mentioned we cannot control the future, but we can control our actions in the present, and these lead to our future being one thing or another.
I say even in the present there is a point where we ourselves are completely clueless as the actions we ourselves will take.
It seems to me if you were really in control of our actions, we would be able to say I will do this, then that, then this, etc.
I think of this example: there are many innovations that a short time ago we couldn’t have conceived of.
Say there’s xyz device. Now, someone came up in his or her mind with that first. That’s the same mind, the exact same mind, that at one point couldn’t even begin to imagine such a thing. The same mind that creates a physical product, at one point couldn’t even begin to conceive of such a product.
To me that says although we claim to be in control, of anything, we are actually not.
Also, I think of how one person comes up with one thing, and another person another. Why? If we are so much in control, couldn’t anyone come up with anything they wanted?