Free Will vs. Determinism

[ComingUpForAir]

Comrades,

I know that many Marxists are wary of any notion of Determinism, as it suggests that Capitalism will inevitably fall and thus we can all sit at home and just wait for the revolution.. but the notion of Philosophical Determinism is, I believe, a necessary perspective that goes hand in hand with secularism, reason, science, atheism, and Marxism. I know a lot of people find Sam Harris somehow to be reactionary, but leaving the argument over his political views aside for a moment (I think attacks on him are mostly if not totally without merit) I think his lecture on the illusion of free will (and subsequent defense of Determinism) is profoundly enlighthening and simply must share: Can't share links yet so look up 'Sam Harris - Free Will' on youtube.

[Psy]

The problem is science views our brains as a intelligent machine where while we have a sub-conscious based on experiences we still have conscious decisions. The fact we have ideas before we conscious decide to think them doesn't change anything, a fully self-aware computer with full free will from its initial programming would do exactly the same with the free agent going through possibilities given to it by its sub-systems (in our case sub-conscious).

If our brains were deterministic it would result in our brains running into constant errors like how most computers do when faced with data unforeseen by programmers thus totally unable to adapt to new data. For example if our brains are deterministic how can we learn games like chest where our brains have to process totally new data outside nature? The voices in our head while playing chest is our brain multi-tasking and processing data while waiting for our choice.

[Kenco Smooth]

I've never seen the issue of determinism and free will. The meaning people most typically ascribe to free will, and the concept they are usually somewhat attached to/invested in, isn't the quasi-theological notion of a non-deterministic, spontaneous arising of an action. It seems much closer to simply acting whilst not under duress, an act where the loci of control is immediately within the person and not external to them. That understanding and use seems perfectly compatible with an understanding that yes, the universe is by and large completely causal (not qualified to talk about areas of physics where it may not be).

[ComingUpForAir]

Consciousness is a projection of unconcious and subconcious processes. I think if you check out the lecture you'll find that your questions will be answered quite well! If you can acknowledge that we don't have free will but are not totally determined, then you have a vague idea of some kind of indeterminsm or quasi-desterminism. Sam Harris' argument is that because we have free choice but not free will, and we don't have control over how our unconcious mind absorbs and projects information into consciousnss, we are completely determined.. yet our choices still matter and ironically we are more free than if we had free will because we ascribe and determine blame and praise and responsibility in a different way. Please do check it out if you get the chance or have time!

[Questionable]

I basically view our brains as biological machines that process the information our senses receive and act on it in the most appropriate way. The ability to think is just an evolutionary extension of this machine and a reflection of the processes going on within it. If time was rewound, we wouldn't make different choices, our brains would act upon the given information and chemical configuration that it had at that point in time.

That's what I've decided on from thinking it over, at least. Haven't done much research into the issue so I don't know how well it would hold up to scrutiny. I'll definitely give this Sam Harris guy a look.