Posted: Jul 22, 2014 1:58 pm
DavidMcC wrote:Asta666 wrote:DavidMcC wrote:Asta666 wrote:
I don't think it's ridiculous. It merely means that attempting to assign responsibility beyond agency (like guilt) is unsupported. Even a "consciously controlled" decision (whatever the fuck that means) is the result of a combination of genetic, developmental (historic) and variables in the current physiology and environment. Every behaviour is, even if we don't precisely know all the variables in a particular instance.
...
Ha! So, you think that you might, for example, buy a house unconsciously, would you?
What I think is that whether I'd do it consciously or not doesn't change the fact that it would be an action/decision caused by a combination of genetic, developmental (historic) and variables in the current physiology and environment.
How are decisions "caused" by the enviromment? It is better to regard them as being influenced by the environment. The idea that we never have choice when making decisions (because the environment made it for us?) is an inadequate one, only applying to unconscious decisions, because we sometimes actually have to think, as when making important decisions when time is not short. I note that your list does not include what is in in your mind!
No doubt the vote for you was from KeepItReal!
Caused, influenced, what difference does it make?
The idea that we can start from a clean slate (free of the "combination of genetic, developmental (historic) and variables in the current physiology and environment") when considering choice options is absurd.