4 ms·
About the experiment, how can Libet conclusively derive the decision came after the initial EEG measurement. I mean how did he know the duration it takes to rep
by stefanix 11y ago
About the experiment, how can Libet conclusively derive the decision came after the initial EEG measurement. I mean how did he know the duration it takes to report the decision. The origin of the decision to being able to reflect on it may take a variable amount of time therefore invalidating the claim.
Also the strict separation of conscious/unconsciousness seems simplistic. Most actions may very well be processed subconsciously with very little decision making bubbling up to consciousness. Driving a car comes to mind. This also means when asking a subject to process something impulsively the vast majority of their actions may be subconscious.
tl;dr
People spacing out does not invalidate free will.
- return0 11y agoThe subjects reported the position of the dot, that's how he knew the exact time point in which they were 'aware' of their impending action. There was a comfortable time difference between the two. More recent experiments have been able to "foresee" actions ~ 10 seconds earlier: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408715 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408715 These studies do not invalidate free will, they just show that free will is not something ethereal, but a product of the specific makeup of ourselves, which is encoded in our brains.