Do humans actually have free will or are we all just a product of genetics and social and cultural conditioning?
When we make a decision, what is the underlying motivation? Do we decide because it is what we want, or because of the confluence of a variety of factors completely outside of our control? And if it is because it is what we want, *why* do we want it? Where do our desires actually come from? How many decisions do you actually make with conscious awareness and how many are decided on some deep subconscious level before you're even consciously aware you've made the decision?
Sam Harris on free will:
(and I would just like to say I typed the question where do desires come from BEFORE I read this quote haha)
"Take a moment to think about the context in which your next decision will occur: You did not pick your parents or the time and place of your birth. You didn't choose your gender or most of your life experiences. You had no control whatsoever over your genome or the development of your brain. And now your brain is making choices on the basis of preferences and beliefs that have been hammered into it over a lifetime - by your genes, your physical development since the moment you were conceived, and the interactions you have had with other people, events, and ideas. Where is the freedom in this? Yes, you are free to do what you want even now. But where did your desires come from?"
Discuss
When we make a decision, what is the underlying motivation? Do we decide because it is what we want, or because of the confluence of a variety of factors completely outside of our control? And if it is because it is what we want, *why* do we want it? Where do our desires actually come from? How many decisions do you actually make with conscious awareness and how many are decided on some deep subconscious level before you're even consciously aware you've made the decision?
Sam Harris on free will:
(and I would just like to say I typed the question where do desires come from BEFORE I read this quote haha)
"Take a moment to think about the context in which your next decision will occur: You did not pick your parents or the time and place of your birth. You didn't choose your gender or most of your life experiences. You had no control whatsoever over your genome or the development of your brain. And now your brain is making choices on the basis of preferences and beliefs that have been hammered into it over a lifetime - by your genes, your physical development since the moment you were conceived, and the interactions you have had with other people, events, and ideas. Where is the freedom in this? Yes, you are free to do what you want even now. But where did your desires come from?"
Discuss
Comment