From: Cameron Reilly (cameron@reilly.net)
Date: Mon Aug 09 1999 - 07:10:06 MDT
Paul Hughes wrote:
Yes. I agree that what most people call their free will is
at least ~99.9% pre-programmed. It’s that remaining ~0.1% that needs to be
addressed.
To better illustrate what I’m saying, consider another
paradox between conscious decisions and a deterministic universe. Our
conscious thoughts are a product of our neural architecture which is
governed by the properties of cellular biochemistry, which is governed by
atomic and quantum physical processes. Technology continues to increase our
capacity in manipulating these processes to our own end. So another way of
looking at nanotechnology is as a complex set of atoms (us) manipulating
themselves for their own end in a *bootstrapping* process. So the question
is, what or who is doing the manipulating? Subquantum processes?
Sub-sub-quantum processes? And what happens when we can manipulate those as
well? Until this question can be answered, the verdict on still out on free
will.
I agree that the question (with respect to the existence or otherwise of
volition) is: what or who is doing the thinking?
However, your question “And what happens when we can manipulate those as
well?” assumes that “we” must have “choice” over the manipulation. I would
argue that whether or not we manipulate the “Sub-sub-quantum processes” is
not important. We have no choice over that manipulation. That action (or the
opposite non-action) is the result of either genetics or conditioning.
Regards,
Cameron Reilly
email: cameron@reilly.net
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