Philosophy Now Forum

SteveKlinko wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:35 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 6:01 pm

Dimebag wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:06 am

The interpretations of the Libet experiments are flawed. The readiness potential was measured before the conscious intent to perform the action, but, the conscious intention to perform the action might have been a single trigger to release a pre-defined and pre-primed action. When a person becomes aware of the action they are to perform, at that time, their motor cortex begins to simulate the action, this can be experienced if one focuses on it, known as “visualising” in sports psychology. Likely this is what the readiness potential is. Then, the moment the conscious intention to act occurs, that is when a person reports their intention to act, but actually, they could have become conscious of the readiness potential if they knew more about the way consciousness and action is linked. Essentially, people don’t know their own minds, poor introception.

Secondly, there were cases in the Libet experiments where people could at the last moment change their minds and veto their previous intention to act. In these cases, the readiness potential was still detected, even when they did not act. So what the readiness potential actually is, is the getting ready to act, not the moment of intention to do the act.

The unconscious mind decides what we want, but the conscious mind can control the execution (deliberate action), or it can sit back and be the passenger if the unconscious mind is knowledgeable enough about the action to be performed, and focus on other more interesting things.

If conscious mind can veto the motion of finger then it means that there are two decisions involved, what is made by unconscious mind (to move my finger) and another with conscious mind (to veto the previous decision).

This could be the case.

Dimebag wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:41 pm And/or to proceed with the cued motion. If you had to think about every single motion you produce consciously you would be overwhelmed, it is an offloading of processing to unconscious automated processes.

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:56 pm

SteveKlinko wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:35 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 6:01 pm
If conscious mind can veto the motion of finger then it means that there are two decisions involved, what is made by unconscious mind (to move my finger) and another with conscious mind (to veto the previous decision).

This could be the case.

How could the unconscious mind possibly create the awareness of the decision is made and transfer it to the conscious mind?