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Agency is an illusion of our neurology. Our thoughts and actions are determined (or at least constrained within a small set of random possibilities) at any giv
by nitrogen 10y ago
Agency is an illusion of our neurology. Our thoughts and actions are determined (or at least constrained within a small set of random possibilities) at any given moment by our genetics and our past environment.
- EdSharkey 10y agoI agree, I cannot find weakness in your arguments. I wish I could upvote you more than once. :) "Illusion" strikes me as having a negative connotation, though. Could we say "Agency is the result of computation in our neurons" instead? We run simulations in our sleep to solve for problems we encountered the previous day. We're simulating things all the time with our computers. We're not mindless automata, I'm sure. Although 'mind' could just be explained by the small set of random possibilities you refer to. But, I suspect that because I can ponder about what you've written and not segfault and die means I'm not mindless.