On being a blank slate and "free will"

[Althea]

Do you or do you not feel bad when someone else is suffering? Are morality and ethics learned or are they inherent?

Very subjective. If you observe a room full of toddlers in daycare, I'd say the majority exhibit compassion and a will to coexist with others.

You will also see the potential future serial killers.

 

[AProudLefty]

Very subjective. If you observe a room full of toddlers in daycare, I'd say the majority exhibit compassion and a will to coexist with others.

You will also see the potential future serial killers.

Psychopaths have no feelings. I give some of them props for acting human to survive.

 

[Althea]

Psychopaths have no feelings. I give some of them props for acting human to survive.

Acting human to attract victims. Physically, or monetarily.

Those would be the toddlers who rip the legs off of the stuffed toys at daycare.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

How many years? I like the odds better than putting humans into the picture.

Nothing we do can stop any future major events, so who needs us?

Disagreed. Tech can deflect an asteroid. There's also the factor of expanding off planet and taking other species with us.

 

[Althea]

Disagreed. Tech can deflect an asteroid. There's also the factor of expanding off planet and taking other species with us.

LMAO. And trump can nuke hurricanes.

So you agree that humans were a mistake, and should be done away with before they destroy other planets?

 

[Dutch Uncle]

LMAO. And trump can nuke hurricanes.

So you agree that humans were a mistake, and should be done away with before they destroy other planets?

Dude, you sound like an anti-science Trumper. Are you antivaxxer too?

No, but thanks for acting like a Trumper again. It's fascinating to see this side of you.

 

[ZenMode]

We have reason. We can acknowledge mistakes in our previous thoughts. we can rewrite our thoughts.

we can see how something in the world may be, but needs to be changed.

there definitely is free will.

slave owners and dehumanizers like george soros and satan wish to deny this truth.

the real god wants to be chosen freely because you understand that love powers the universe, not compelled action.

We do have reason, in as much as our brains assess each situation based on all prior experiences, and our thoughts are definitely rewritten, or at least impacted, by every new experience. However, we have no visibility to how or how much any experience impacts our future thoughts and, therefore, our actions.

To say "there is definitely free will" would mean that there is an "I" that exists somewhere behind our eyes (at least that's how most people imagine it). And that "I" has the ability to think our thoughts before they enter consciousness, which is when "we" think them. In reality, there is no "I" that exists outside of the stream of thought. There is only the stream of thought. It's happening constantly, we can't stop the stream of thought and we have no idea what the next thought is going to be until our brain pushes it into consciousness.

How many times have you been sitting on the couch, watching TV, and you suddenly have a random thought like "Did I close the garage door when I got home?" There is no "I" that consciously created that thought or had an awareness of that thought before it existed in consciousness, yet that thought likely resulted in an action - you getting up and checking the garage door. Or, that thought resulted in several subsequent thoughts, possibly thoughts reaching back into memory to determine if you DID close the garage door, but you didn't control, and couldn't prevent, any of those thoughts either.

 

[Litmus]

We do have reason, in as much as our brains assess each situation based on all prior experiences, and our thoughts are definitely rewritten, or at least impacted, by every new experience. However, we have no visibility to how or how much any experience impacts our future thoughts and, therefore, our actions.

To say "there is definitely free will" would mean that there is an "I" that exists somewhere behind our eyes (at least that's how most people imagine it). And that "I" has the ability to think our thoughts before they enter consciousness, which is when "we" think them. In reality, there is no "I" that exists outside of the stream of thought. There is only the stream of thought. It's happening constantly, we can't stop the stream of thought and we have no idea what the next thought is going to be until our brain pushes it into consciousness.

How many times have you been sitting on the couch, watching TV, and you suddenly have a random thought like "Did I close the garage door when I got home?" There is no "I" that consciously created that thought or had an awareness of that thought before it existed in consciousness, yet that thought likely resulted in an action - you getting up and checking the garage door. Or, that thought resulted in several subsequent thoughts, possibly thoughts reaching back into memory to determine if you DID close the garage door, but you didn't control, and couldn't prevent, any of those thoughts either.

yes. youre in the slavery totalitarianism satanically compelled action crowd i was talking about.

Technocratic elitist genocidal totalitarians seek to argue away free will.

they are mistaken and are bad and evil people.

 

[Jack]

I was reading through the CS Lewis topic and came across these two thoughts by Cypress that seem to be contradictory.

If our minds are blank slates and our thinking is based on what we learned, read, etc, how do we have free will?

"Our minds start out as blank slates, so to the extent we are "thinking for ourselves" it is almost entirely based on what we learned, read, digested, or considered from the work and ideas of others."

"Humans have the free will to act on a moral conscience, or not."

The DNA 'roll of the dice' we all inherit has a lot to do with how things turn out. 'Luck' is also a factor.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

The DNA 'roll of the dice' we all inherit has a lot to do with how things turn out. 'Luck' is also a factor.

What percentage? Chess is a game of skill. Backgammon is a game of both skill and luck of the dice.

If, like the stats below indicate, a person with low skills and poor luck is a LOSER. A person with high skills and poor luck has a much better chance. Clearly those with high skills and good luck are in the Winner's Circle.

Where do you fit in, Jack?

http://freerangestats.info/blog/2016/03/19/elo-pr-luck

 

[Jack]

What percentage? Chess is a game of skill. Backgammon is a game of both skill and luck of the dice.

If, like the stats below indicate, a person with low skills and poor luck is a LOSER. A person with high skills and poor luck has a much better chance. Clearly those with high skills and good luck are in the Winner's Circle.

Where do you fit in, Jack?

Is this about the Topic in the OP, or is the usual personal attack ?

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Is this about the Topic in the OP, or is the usual personal attack ?

The OP. If you were smarter and saner, you'd understand the point.

FWIW, your posts do lean hard into personal attacks with your OCD about Christians and Women.

OTOH, my post, pointing out the difference between skill and luck both helps refute your idiotic position and also Cypress's "magic hand" theories guiding us through life.

FWIW, many cultures recognize the "hand of fate", destiny and other such concepts which cannot be explained by logic.

 

[ZenMode]

yes. youre in the slavery totalitarianism satanically compelled action crowd i was talking about.

Technocratic elitist genocidal totalitarians seek to argue away free will.

they are mistaken and are bad and evil people.

This really has nothing to do with gods, devils, angels, etc. It has to do with the reality of the neurological functionality of your brain. Your brain is "thinking" all the time, but only certain thoughts ever make it into consciousness and those thoughts are what drive our actions and determines most everything that makes "you" who you are.

Based on your response, I assume you are Christian and, as such, you have a secondary concern about the existence of a self (or possibly a soul) and free will. But, the neurological realities don't change. There is no thinker of thoughts behind your eyes - there are only thoughts and those thoughts determine most of who we are (the rest is attributable to genetics), but we don't control those thoughts or subsequent thoughts that drive our behavior. You don't know what you're going to forget next, remember next, want next, understand next or not understand next. For example, can you use your free will to not understand that 2+2 =4? Of course not. If you understand it, then you can't not understand it. You also can't use your free will to understand something that you don't understand.

 

[Litmus]

This really has nothing to do with gods, devils, angels, etc. It has to do with the reality of the neurological functionality of your brain. Your brain is "thinking" all the time, but only certain thoughts ever make it into consciousness and those thoughts are what drive our actions and determines most everything that makes "you" who you are.

Based on your response, I assume you are Christian and, as such, you have a secondary concern about the existence of a self (or possibly a soul) and free will. But, the neurological realities don't change. There is no thinker of thoughts behind your eyes - there are only thoughts and those thoughts determine most of who we are (the rest is attributable to genetics), but we don't control those thoughts or subsequent thoughts that drive our behavior. You don't know what you're going to forget next, remember next, want next, understand next or not understand next. For example, can you use your free will to not understand that 2+2 =4? Of course not. If you understand it, then you can't not understand it. You also can't use your free will to understand something that you don't understand.

We have free will.

we can understand all these things about conditioning and pathways and that's true.

and we can still choose to do something different.

I know you degraders of humanity want to villainize consciousness evolution and free will.

THat way you can feel good about being horrible people.

THere is no fate.

The nwo is not inevitable.

Nobody really has to comply. it's a psychout game.

the spirit is eternal.

 

[Celticguy]

Incorrect. 'Instinct' is the thoughts mentioned in the OP. All animals have an instinct to be afraid of humans. Through repetitive actions, they learn that humans can be beneficial. Once a domesticated animal is being abused, they use reason to expect it when confronted with the action that they associate with the abuse.

'Reason' is developed by retaining memories of repeated actions.


We see better examples with elephants, apes, crows, etc.

Animals (and not all of them) instinctively fear everything (not just humans) as the instinct drives whether the animal is predator, prey or further up the food chain.

 

[Jack]

This really has nothing to do with gods, devils, angels, etc. It has to do with the reality of the neurological functionality of your brain. Your brain is "thinking" all the time, but only certain thoughts ever make it into consciousness and those thoughts are what drive our actions and determines most everything that makes "you" who you are.

Based on your response, I assume you are Christian and, as such, you have a secondary concern about the existence of a self (or possibly a soul) and free will. But, the neurological realities don't change. There is no thinker of thoughts behind your eyes - there are only thoughts and those thoughts determine most of who we are (the rest is attributable to genetics), but we don't control those thoughts or subsequent thoughts that drive our behavior. You don't know what you're going to forget next, remember next, want next, understand next or not understand next. For example, can you use your free will to not understand that 2+2 =4? Of course not. If you understand it, then you can't not understand it. You also can't use your free will to understand something that you don't understand.

'Motivated'. There seems to be a 'Motivation gene'. Some are 'driven'.

 

[Jack]

This really has nothing to do with gods, devils, angels, etc. It has to do with the reality of the neurological functionality of your brain. Your brain is "thinking" all the time, but only certain thoughts ever make it into consciousness and those thoughts are what drive our actions and determines most everything that makes "you" who you are.

Based on your response, I assume you are Christian and, as such, you have a secondary concern about the existence of a self (or possibly a soul) and free will. But, the neurological realities don't change. There is no thinker of thoughts behind your eyes - there are only thoughts and those thoughts determine most of who we are (the rest is attributable to genetics), but we don't control those thoughts or subsequent thoughts that drive our behavior. You don't know what you're going to forget next, remember next, want next, understand next or not understand next. For example, can you use your free will to not understand that 2+2 =4? Of course not. If you understand it, then you can't not understand it. You also can't use your free will to understand something that you don't understand.

The 'Motivated/Driven' blank slate will 'think' more than the average blank slate. The DNA one inherits has a direct effect on what/who 'YOU' are/become. Basically, a lot of 'YOU' is pre-determined before we exit the vagina.

 

[Litmus]

The 'Motivated/Driven' blank slate will 'think' more than the average blank slate. The DNA one inherits has a direct effect on what/who 'YOU' are/become. Basically, a lot of 'YOU' is pre-determined before we exit the vagina.

and a large portion is not.

 

[Litmus]

'Motivated'. There seems to be a 'Motivation gene'. Some are 'driven'.

I would say that most of that is inculcated by an abusive slave creating cultutral illness. A perpetuation of abusive cycles through the generations.

 

[ZenMode]

We have free will.

we can understand all these things about conditioning and pathways and that's true.

and we can still choose to do something different.

I know you degraders of humanity want to villainize consciousness evolution and free will.

THat way you can feel good about being horrible people.

THere is no fate.

The nwo is not inevitable.

Nobody really has to comply. it's a psychout game.

the spirit is eternal.

We have free will.

we can understand all these things about conditioning and pathways and that's true.

and we can still choose to do something different.

Restating what you want to believe, without providing any actual support for your position, doesn't really mean much.