tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post652682347603041562..comments2023-08-22T09:13:46.308-04:00Comments on Computing Ignorance: Free Will RevisitedMozglubovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04803674886685831282noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-87075165373901736342009-10-30T19:15:47.933-04:002009-10-30T19:15:47.933-04:00After writing this post I came across the study wh...After writing this post I came across the study which I think inspired the argument about the hand movements (a study by Benjamin Libet that provided evidence that the conscious decision to move occurred a half second after the neuronal activity setting the movement into motion). This argument makes more sense, but I do not think it is conclusive proof (for one thing, measuring the moment of conscious decision is remarkably imprecise, particularly since we don't know for sure what pattern of brain activity denotes such an incident and must therefore rely on self-reporting - a much less reliable as well as longer process than timing information available from EEG recordings). Anyway, I just thought I should bring that study up for anyone interested.Mozglubovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04803674886685831282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-11701390894356100742009-10-29T22:18:32.330-04:002009-10-29T22:18:32.330-04:00Alright, done with school work, and I have a momen...Alright, done with school work, and I have a moment of free time, so let me first thank you for doing this post. interesting.<br /><br />And about the argument that you actually got third hand, the objection you raise was something I had thought of also.<br /><br />I too find the subject at times a bit tedious, but mostly because I find my knowledge base so limiting that I could not really begin to have an intelligent conversation about it. I have some knowledge on one aspect of it, the knowledge and philosophy, but I think if you engage in the conversation without a neuroscience and biological background also, you are missing something vitally important. And ultimately, I think the question is largely academic. Because, even if we find that free will is not real, I do not think the primary field that would be relevant information, the criminal justice system would, or should change.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04103446055814911491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-6872056054782997892009-10-26T23:54:06.990-04:002009-10-26T23:54:06.990-04:00This doesn't really break any new ground, but ...This doesn't really break any new ground, but I've always wondered why it isn't just called "will". The "free" has always seemed unnecessary to me. Your will must be free or it isn't yours at all. <br /><br />-ReganAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-74899226346764637582009-10-21T23:59:22.424-04:002009-10-21T23:59:22.424-04:00Since you are bringing this to my attention for th...Since you are bringing this to my attention for the first time I would say that yes, it is coincidence. However, to a certain extent I think he is right that it is a 'hot topic' right now. Penrose was one of those fellows I was alluding to in my second paragraph, after all.Mozglubovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04803674886685831282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-20720037867404230582009-10-21T23:29:55.823-04:002009-10-21T23:29:55.823-04:00Harpers' daily links post for today included h...Harpers' daily links post for today included http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2008/09/the-martin-gardner-interview-part-3/ .<br /><br />I'm not familiar, but apparent Martin Gardner is famous for his math writing; and one long paragraph in the interview begins "You know the problem of consciousness is a hot topic right now."<br /><br />Coincidence?Paul Kishimotohttp://paul.kishimoto.namenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196547498235237605.post-48369318799569329942009-10-21T12:34:49.179-04:002009-10-21T12:34:49.179-04:00It always confuses me that people have such a hard...It always confuses me that people have such a hard time telling the difference between 'faster than our perception' and 'infinitely fast'. Even if they can say to themselves that they know something must have a finite speed, like processes in the brain or light, when it actually comes to applying that to a problem, they get tripped up.<br /><br />I think if humanity had evolved with a different notion of speed/velocity, then many modern areas of scientific thinking would be much more accessible.S.C. Kavassalishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01326429306907885422noreply@blogger.com