trainedobserver
Paranormally Disenchanted
That we are not what we appear to be, both to ourselves and each other, is made quite obvious in this special on consciousness.
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BBC Horizon - The Secret You
- Thread starter trainedobserver
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pixelsmith
Guest
extremely interesting! thanks for posting this!
Randall
J. Randall Murphy
I worked it out logically and philosophically for myself over a decade ago that free will is purely illusuion, at least if we look at free will the way most people do, which is that while we are conscious we are capable of making individual choices ( decisions ), knowing full well before we make the next choice ( to act on them ) what the consequences are. I used to back up my conclusion using older brain scans from different studies. But in the video that kicked off this discussion we have people who have now focused on the specific issue. Their experiments scientifically prove that your decisions are made up to 6 seconds before you become aware of them.
So now we have scientific proof that you and I are not truly in "conscious control" of anything. We're merely surfers on a wave of consciousness produced by a vast ocean of neurons. We might be able to make some course changes and develop reflexes that allow for a successful and hopefully fun ride, but we don't "decide" which way the wave is moving or where it will end. Our entire conscious existence takes place on a thin, dynamic and transient ripple that exists only temporarily just above the surface. At the end of each day when the ride is over, we lose consciousness and drift back out ... our dreams giving us visions of what lies below the surface and perhaps providing clues as to what is coming when we awake.
Suddenly I feel this urge to take up surfing and live the metaphor on some sunny beach someplace. Now here is an interesting image to contemplate in the context of that analogy ...
Ocean Dome
So now we have scientific proof that you and I are not truly in "conscious control" of anything. We're merely surfers on a wave of consciousness produced by a vast ocean of neurons. We might be able to make some course changes and develop reflexes that allow for a successful and hopefully fun ride, but we don't "decide" which way the wave is moving or where it will end. Our entire conscious existence takes place on a thin, dynamic and transient ripple that exists only temporarily just above the surface. At the end of each day when the ride is over, we lose consciousness and drift back out ... our dreams giving us visions of what lies below the surface and perhaps providing clues as to what is coming when we awake.
Suddenly I feel this urge to take up surfing and live the metaphor on some sunny beach someplace. Now here is an interesting image to contemplate in the context of that analogy ...
Ocean Dome