Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Pop science: You are not free! You are just not!

Denyse O'Leary
April 18, 2011
Neuroscience
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New Scientist aims to prove it with this animation. You need the illusion of free ill but that’s all it is.

Any idea why so many people need you and me to believe that? What follows?

Denyse O’Leary is co-author of The Spiritual Brain.

Comments
The use of language proves the reality of free will. This is certain since the laws of physics do not have anything to say about specific arrangements of symbols that communicate a message. Any one who denies the existence of free will (by using language and how else would one deny it?) is irrational. Why does anyone pay attention to these people AT ALL? They purport to be deep thinkers (that requires free will) but are no better than fools.tgpeeler
April 19, 2011
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If anything, the video refutes itself, as the narrator claims that "…we may be hard-wired to believe that [free will exists]." I'm not overlooking the "may" in that sentence, but note that the narrator also says this: "…many scientists say that this is because our brains are lying to us. They say we are living under a persistent mental illusion called free will" Well, obviously those scientists are not "hard-wired" to believe in free will, because they are clearly denying free will. And in virtue of the fact that he is willing to entertain the notion that free will MAY not exist, the narrator himself is apparently not "hard-wired" to believe in free will either. If humans are hard-wired to believe in free will, then why are these scientists exempt? So my question is this: Who are these people trying to fool?TRoutMac
April 19, 2011
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I don't understand how you come to the conclusion that New Scientist is claiming to prove anything with that clip. It struck me as a pretty non-committal video.AMW
April 18, 2011
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