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Does anyone ever really know why anyone (including the self) really does or does not do anything? We can all offer a narrative, but that’s just our confabulati

Does anyone ever really know why anyone (including the self) really does or does not do anything? We can all offer a narrative, but that’s just our confabulation module narrating post hoc. The split brain experiments proved that to be the case. We are all just advanced versions of GPT3. Discuss

bdamm 6y ago
Why we act at all is not relevant here. The fact is that policy and training produce behavioral outcomes. So if you want to change a behavior in a group of employees, you can train them. What to train them on, how to train them, and how to encourage adherence to the training are the subjects here. You can choose to spend your energy in philosophy or psychology but that's too big a question if you just want to understand how and why doctors wash their hands.
- wombatmobile 6y ago
  > What to train them on, how to train them, and how to encourage adherence to the training are the subjects here Yep. The fact that enough doctors are in breach of the protocol, despite all the training and motivators, suggests we do need to look deeper. I'm not sure why you would reject psychology or neuroscience insights into the causes of behavior. Aren't those the disciplines that provide a scientific basis for constructing training protocols? Philosophy just tells us that the scientists are limited by conscious awareness, which means they don't have access to the data to be able to determine themselves why they do or don't make a behavior.
wombatmobile 6y ago
Before you rush to the conclusion that I'm trolling, or stupid, consider these https://www.jstor.org/stable/188684?seq=1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/188684?seq=1 https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/comments/S1364-6613(17)30190-0 https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/comments/S136... https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11513 https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11513 The question of what "causes" behavior is not as simple as you might expect from the ease with which you are able to explain (or provide a narrative about) your own behavior, or someone else's behavior. If it were, the mystery of consciousness would be resolved.

bdamm 6y ago

Why we act at all is not relevant here. The fact is that policy and training produce behavioral outcomes. So if you want to change a behavior in a group of employees, you can train them. What to train them on, how to train them, and how to encourage adherence to the training are the subjects here. You can choose to spend your energy in philosophy or psychology but that's too big a question if you just want to understand how and why doctors wash their hands.

wombatmobile 6y ago
> What to train them on, how to train them, and how to encourage adherence to the training are the subjects here Yep. The fact that enough doctors are in breach of the protocol, despite all the training and motivators, suggests we do need to look deeper. I'm not sure why you would reject psychology or neuroscience insights into the causes of behavior. Aren't those the disciplines that provide a scientific basis for constructing training protocols? Philosophy just tells us that the scientists are limited by conscious awareness, which means they don't have access to the data to be able to determine themselves why they do or don't make a behavior.

wombatmobile 6y ago

Before you rush to the conclusion that I'm trolling, or stupid, consider these https://www.jstor.org/stable/188684?seq=1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/188684?seq=1 https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/comments/S1364-6613(17)30190-0 https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/comments/S136... https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11513 https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11513 The question of what "causes" behavior is not as simple as you might expect from the ease with which you are able to explain (or provide a narrative about) your own behavior, or someone else's behavior. If it were, the mystery of consciousness would be resolved.