Neuroscience and Free Will BBC video [mirror]

Mirror:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6S9Oi...

In this clip, Marcus Du Sautoy (Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and the Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science) participates in an experiment conducted by John-Dylan Haynes (Professor at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin) that attempts to find the neurological basis for decision making.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Free Will
• Determinism
• Consciousness
• Subconscious
• Neuroscience
• Causality
• Neurophilosophy
• Materialism
• Dualism
• Neuroethics

[xknowledgeisfreex]

What would happen if he were told his own decision by the experimenter 6 seconds in advance of him becoming aware of it?

[scienceandnonduality]

@xknowledgeisfreex: AWESOME QUESTION!!!!!!

[xknowledgeisfreex]

@scienceandnonduality

lol :)

[scienceandnonduality]

@xknowledgeisfreex I can see a feedback loop an dthe FMRI exploding...

Also, on the line... what about if you put the person reading the results of the the FMRI in another FMRI and see if his analisys of what the machine will read appears 6 seconds early???

:-)

[kasuskasus]

Duality takes another beating! :P

[sweenz25]

Free will assumes a person, but the person is just an appearance within the thinking and thinking just happens. Stuff just happens and no one is in control. Harsh! yes, but as clear as day. Just look at experience for validation.

[udoloh]

@xknowledgeisfreex I don't think they analyze the data in real time. I might be wrong though. If it does run in real time, they should definitely try it.

[sessehomaru99]

Free will is a flawed concept.

We are made of physical matter and physical matter obeys the laws of physics. Due to the uncertainty principle, we can't predict things exactly, but particles still follow certain laws. They can't not follow the laws of physics...which means they're not free.

[wordcolor]

@xknowledgeisfreex - good question! I'm sure then he's press the other button just out of curosity

[BesACB]

The concept of free will implies the concept of an agent. The concept of a separate agent rests on the identification with the body co-existing with the inner sense of absolute unrestrainedness of the self.

[RedLetterChristian]

the examiner saying that what you do is predetermined is just wrong, when he clearly said before that your unconscious mind is part of the decision making process and that it is in touch with your beliefs, and hopes ect. the fact that you are being asked to make a decision and that they can then follow the act of making that decision is amazing but this in no way leads to a none dualist idea of the brain, just b/c you become aware of the decision after process. the jump in logic is too great.

[MrWildbill20056]

1)This work shows latency between presentation of question and the brain activity? As such, then what about decisions made within that window of 'reactivity?'

2) A quick review also shows that the predicitions made are accurate above the 'probability due to chance' threshold, but not perfectly. Consequently is this not more accurately interpreted as simply one part of the decision making process?

3) Consquently the brain 'computer' and consciousness may work together to produce results.

[avalanche1115]

Even though its not our conscious mind which initiated the action,there is some influence it plays in the brain's decision making process.So there is some free will even though its in a lesser degree

The most ideal situation anyone would want is to have a spontaneous control over themselves, that is control over oneself without much of conscious effort.If there is conscious involement then there is more effort,having better control with less effort is a good thing IMO

[avalanche1115]

Probably yeah, I'm not my decision maker and I've experienced that in many of the conscious decisions I take, before actually I decidie to make a decision, I could sense some spontaneity leading upto me doing it.

I have read an article in the wikipedia related to this.What it basically suggests is that there has not been a consensus arrived at this issue.Also all these things doesnt necessarily mean that conscious does not influence decision making.

[TheSorrowLand]

@Guidje BBC Horizon - The Secret You

[Guidje]

what is the name of the documentary where this video was ripped off?? thank you, in advance...