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Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make Them

2 points by gaika 18y ago

thaumaturgy 18y ago
Does this mean you're reconsidering your opinion that the idea of "free will" is meaningless in an atheistic context? ;-) Link to a PDF outlining the study, with graphs and methodology: [http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v11/n5/suppinfo/nn.2112_S1.html http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v11/n5/suppinfo/nn.2112_...] Regardless, I don't see how this particular experiment threatens the idea of free will. It found that there was a disconnect between the moment that a person made a decision -- subconsciously -- and the moment in which they became aware of their decision, or "decided to make a decision". Also, the decisions being made required no consideration on the part of the subjects, which I think is an important factor when talking about free will. The test subjects didn't have to consider the consequences of their decisions before making them; they simply pushed a button with either their left or right hand.
- gaika 18y ago
  Yes, "free will" question as in "conscious choice" is the only formulation I found that doesn't involve supernatural. The answer still seems to be "no".
- sysop073 18y ago
  This same foolish title confused Digg users a few months ago when this came out. It should really be "Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Know You've Made Them"
  - Hexstream 18y ago
    Also nothing can possibly see a decision before it's made because it doesn't yet exist, by definition.
mattmaroon 18y ago
While I don't believe in free will, by any sane definition of the term, all this would prove (even if their prediction algorithm were perfect) is that there is a time lag between thought and action. A delay does not equal lack of free will.
- river_styx 18y ago
  Exactly. This is not really a threat to compatibalist free will at all.
iamelgringo 18y ago
The only reason that the neuroscientists got this research published was because they challenged the idea that there was no free will. It's a topic that gets good press. It was probably a great choice for their careers.
qqq 18y ago
> Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make Them Cold readers can too. OMFG!

2 points by gaika 18y ago

Does this mean you're reconsidering your opinion that the idea of "free will" is meaningless in an atheistic context? ;-) Link to a PDF outlining the study, with graphs and methodology: [http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v11/n5/suppinfo/nn.2112_S1.html http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v11/n5/suppinfo/nn.2112_...] Regardless, I don't see how this particular experiment threatens the idea of free will. It found that there was a disconnect between the moment that a person made a decision -- subconsciously -- and the moment in which they became aware of their decision, or "decided to make a decision". Also, the decisions being made required no consideration on the part of the subjects, which I think is an important factor when talking about free will. The test subjects didn't have to consider the consequences of their decisions before making them; they simply pushed a button with either their left or right hand.

gaika 18y ago
Yes, "free will" question as in "conscious choice" is the only formulation I found that doesn't involve supernatural. The answer still seems to be "no".
sysop073 18y ago
This same foolish title confused Digg users a few months ago when this came out. It should really be "Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Know You've Made Them"
- Hexstream 18y ago
  Also nothing can possibly see a decision before it's made because it doesn't yet exist, by definition.

mattmaroon 18y ago

While I don't believe in free will, by any sane definition of the term, all this would prove (even if their prediction algorithm were perfect) is that there is a time lag between thought and action. A delay does not equal lack of free will.

river_styx 18y ago
Exactly. This is not really a threat to compatibalist free will at all.

iamelgringo 18y ago

The only reason that the neuroscientists got this research published was because they challenged the idea that there was no free will. It's a topic that gets good press. It was probably a great choice for their careers.

qqq 18y ago

> Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make Them Cold readers can too. OMFG!