>From: "Cameron Reilly" <cameron@reilly.net>
>Reply-To: extropians@extropy.com
>To: <extropians@extropy.com>
>Subject: RE: Free Will
>Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 22:49:43 +1000
>
>Clint with all due respect, I suggest that your analysis here is quite
>fuzzy. You use a term like "you create control" as if the "you" actually
>exists empirically. What is this "you" and its "emotion" if not thought?
>Can
>you separate thought from neurons? Where does the "you" and the "emotion"
>reside? Can you have either without the brain? I'm still looking forward to
>your email which explains how you do all of these things that you claim.
'You' or 'I' is thought. Thought does come from neurons. But it is the way neurons work together that create thought. It is not enough to just have neurons. That's like saying all life is is just molecules, when actually its the way molecules interact that result in life. If this is what you meant in you last post then I'm in agreement with you, up till the point when you claim no control.
Emotion is a concept I still haven't figured out how it works. But I know it plays are part in choice (logic gate computer style or random if not in any way free choice) because people will come up with two different solutions to the same problem during different emotional states.
Now, to change your thinking you must have some desire to do so. What would give someone a desire to change anything or not change anything? One may say to not do so may be illogical, but why do we care whether its logical or not? So we may survive? Why do we care if we survive? It's programmed in our genes. Are they sure? If so how exactly does that work chemically? So emotion gives us desire.
Now that we have a desire to change the programming, how do we do it? So far I can see how all this is just responses and doesn't require any interference from a non responsive source. Choice...What do we choose to change? That can be responses to what is desired given from emotion linked with associated thought that is assumed to bring a desired output.
Then we carry out the decided action. When change a situation you take control of that situation. When we change are programming we take control of that programming, even if we are using the programming to change the programming. We are still taking control. Now that we have control along with desire we make a free choice of what to chose next because "we recognize" we have control and we have desire.
As far as how I do what I claim to do, will have to wait longer. I'm sorry but these past couple of weeks have not given me much time to do anything. Today I had an exam in my logic class. Tomorrow I have an exam in both biology and college algebra (which I definitely need to study). On top of that there are english papers I had to write and a research paper for biology due tomorrow.
When I get more time I will sit down and write down my actual exercises.
-Clint O'Dell
clintodell@hotmail.com