Science Shows You May Not Be The Thinker Of Your Thoughts.
You are only the witness, probably.
VOICE & VISION | Consciousness & Identity
By TLS
Did you know you are likely not the thinker of your thoughts?
Let that sink in for a minute.
Neuroscience experiments, including the famous Libet experiment and later brain studies by John-Dylan Haynes, suggest that decisions are often predetermined in the brain up to ten seconds before you become conscious of them. Sooo, what do you think about that? Reach for your faith, philosophy, or spirituality lifejacket now, you’ll find it under your seat. Remember to put your own mask on first…
Are our thoughts predetermined? This research suggests an uncomfortable result, we may not be in control. Somewhere deep in your brain, something (else?) is making decisions for you. The implications of this suggest we may not be the captains of our fate. We may only be witnesses to the experience we call our lives. So, what does that mean for us?
Are we the ones living our lives? Or, are we passengers on something else, a ride at a theme park we didn’t even know we were on? This brings us to the possibly awkward area of free will. Do we have it, or do we simply have the illusion? This is an uncomfortable possibility to acknowledge.
If we do not have free will, then what are we? The deer, rabbit, and cow are all just simple mindless animals, or so we tell ourselves. They operate primarily on instinct with no conscious reasoning or rational thought, again so we tell ourselves. This is probably true, but what are the implications of that to us?
Perhaps we’re not much better off. Instead maybe we’ve simply been tricked into thinking we have a choice. When in reality we have as little control over what we say, do, and think as that deer or rabbit. Not very comforting.
What do we do with this revelation? Well, I think, not much really. We have no control over changing this process. We may have no real free will or agency. We are merely witnesses to the ride. Is there no benefit here for us to find? Possibly, just maybe, the understanding of our situation is enough. If we know we don’t really have a choice, perhaps we can then have a little more understanding of the actions of our fellow travelers on this journey to…somewhere?
What do you believe? Do we have complete free will or are we simply passengers on this unknown ride?
Last MVaN? Piece: Why Everthing Feels True Now
