What is Digg?122 Comments
- Flashman, on 04/14/2008, -4/+48I wish I had a brain scanner that removed duplicate stories from Digg before I saw them.
- sh0k, on 04/14/2008, -3/+22Just for that, I'm not going to read the article.
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*click* - DesertDude, on 04/14/2008, -5/+19God I hope the US government doesn't read Digg or Wired.
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -0/+14Sounds more like you're blazed.
- BrynKng, on 04/14/2008, -1/+14I wouldn't really count that as lack of free will. Like it says in the article, the unconscious workings of your brain are still you. Even if its on some unconscious level its still free will, you just don't know about it for a few seconds!
- jp12380, on 04/14/2008, -2/+15Get out of my Mind!
- Andrewmatt, on 04/14/2008, -4/+14Your brain knows you are going to digg this comment down before you digg it down.
- doublsh0t, on 04/14/2008, -2/+11gotta go watch the matrix again
- terryhuang, on 04/14/2008, -2/+11Attach this to stock brokers and we can make money!
- sooch, on 04/14/2008, -4/+11i can has free will?
- SillyDigger, on 04/14/2008, -4/+10I guess that throws free will out the window
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -1/+6We have what feels like free will. And that's all that matters.
- chrisaug18, on 04/14/2008, -3/+8This is too mindboggling I am trying to study for a 9AM exam
- emotecontrol, on 04/14/2008, -0/+5Mistake #1: proposing a duality between "you" and "your brain". Guess what, not all parts of your brain are aware of the processes in all other parts of your brain until they share information, much in the same way as a quad core CPU can process four operations without crosstalk between the cores. When you decide to do something, it takes a moment for that decision to "spread" to other parts of the brain, including the part that registers awareness of its own decisions. The action of deciding and the caching to memory of the action are two separate operations.
I don't see why this is supposed to be so amazing. If you think about it for ten seconds it's a pretty intuitive conclusion. - calcium20, on 04/14/2008, -1/+6*edit (nearly identical statement as previous comment)*
- CarStan, on 04/14/2008, -0/+4They already made the decision to do so, they just dont know it yet
- Olfster, on 04/14/2008, -1/+5Simply amazing. Now we can convict and punish people based on their brain scans. Here is how it could work. Just like a DUI breathalyzer, you look like a suspect (airline passenger) so we ask if you will submit to the test. You refuse, so based on that you are automatically guilty of the crime and suspended from further flights. Heck, how about suspending you from being able to use your credit cards until you take the test. You must be a criminal if you refuse! Just so you know, by the time we implement this we will probably be in a cashless society. Just think of all the advances in safety. Hey, I think I saw a movie like that before...
- bryan879, on 04/14/2008, -0/+4I am also confused by the assertion that the mind and brain are separate. If your brain and "mind" are the same thing then the decision making process undertaken by your brain is you actually weighing options and putting forth a decision. Why isn't that free will? I don't see the fact you aren't "conscious" of the decision making process till later in the game makes any difference. When I hear "free will doesn't exist" I think of a predetermined universe or that we are being influenced by an external force.
- gklitt, on 04/14/2008, -0/+4"your brain made the decision long before you knew about it."
And who exactly is "you" besides your brain? - floorpi, on 04/14/2008, -1/+5I just put on my tinfoil hat before I realized why.
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -0/+4Death threats? I've had things explained to me that I can't believe, and I've never once wanted to kill the person who's talking to me.
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -2/+6CHARLES, NOOOO! GET OUTTA MY HEAD, CHARLES!
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -3/+6But... but... but... the conclusion of this discovery is that out decisions are not the result of "free will" but instead the result of a mechanical process in the brain? But that would mean then traditional punishment is invalid, based on torturing us into new behavior and the only thing that'll work is therapeutic behavioral adjustment!
- TheBanch, on 04/14/2008, -1/+4Your actions being "strongly prepared" by brain activity doesn't equate to predetermination.
Obviously, if we are thinking about a decision (no matter how trivial) we're weighing the pros and cons of the potential choices. And since human beings carry biases, our intellect prefers one outcome over the other, even during the process of deliberation. So, our brain activity should represent that we are "strongly prepared" to make a decision. And in most cases, we do.
But what if instead of pushing buttons, the choice was whether or not to stick a hand into an open flame. The scientists would see all this activity in a certain part of the brain that says "he won't put his hand in the flame". Obviously, we know fire hurts. Since our brains prefer NOT to feel pain, the process of deliberation is lopsided: we all prefer not to stick our hand in the flame. And to be fair, none of us probably will. But the scientists will exclaim, "we can predict human behavior!!!". But in actuality, all they're doing is predicting the probability of human behavior. The beautiful (and terrifying) thing about human beings, is that we can be both irrational and unpredictable. Which kind of bums me out because if they succeeded in taking away my free will, i would no longer be responsible for my actions. Now THATS freedom! - sauron256, on 04/14/2008, -0/+3Anyone stupid enough to click that links deserves what they get.
(BTW, don't want to get tricked with these? Use http://tinyurl.com/preview.php) - inactive, on 04/14/2008, -0/+3Because you didn't read the article, so you have no idea what it's actually talking about.
- hauntedchippy, on 04/14/2008, -1/+4But how do you know that wasn't the decision you were originally going to make? :S
- scojerroc, on 04/14/2008, -0/+3and you're here? not trying very hard, eh?
- Olfster, on 04/14/2008, -0/+3Maybe your stockbroker. You don't want this thing near mine.
- sovietninja, on 04/14/2008, -4/+6I didn't RTFA either! DIGG ME DOWN!
- 4d669, on 04/14/2008, -3/+5I've tried to explain this to dozens of people and I always get death threats. It's just too hard to sallow I guess.
- fletcherrr, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2what?
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2sry too obvious, have to lead into it some.
- petershultz, on 04/14/2008, -1/+3Great, now let's hire some thought police and we'll be all hunkey dorey.
- eggnogdog, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2Ah, but the problem is that this is simply a matter of time.
Humanity will soon be defunct, I just hope we'll manage our technology well enough so that it won't dominate us. - a6n28f, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2This is actually a video about split brain behavioral experiments and not a Rick Roll.
- Sinai, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2Most people like to think their conscious mind is largely in control.
- inactive, on 04/14/2008, -12/+14I bet some scientist was blazed and he was like "man, i bet we think about things before we even think of them." And some other stoned scientist was like "yeah, I was totally just thinking that dude, lets get some money from the government to do a study." ***** hippies.
- soogy, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2Not really. What the article is trying to point out is that due to various preset variables in your life, a decision you make is mathematically predictable. In this case, the subjects had time to PLAN an action subconsciously. In the case of reading this article's description, I more than likely had made my decision to continue reading in considerably less 7 seconds.
The thing is, we just don't have the scientific knowledge to take into account all of these variables, nor do we have any computers fast enough or large enough to store and use this data to predict your response to a situation in real-time, though in the case of a planned action (as in the article), it may be possible to decipher your next action based on neurological activity. - zigurd, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2A brain scan would have revealed he is procrastinating, but can't admit it. Shhh. Don't tell him.
- DontThinkSo, on 04/14/2008, -1/+3You think this is fascinating, try googling some stories with people that have severed the connection between the two halves of the brain (the corpus callosum). The two halves still perform their functions, just independently of each other. Fascinating stuff!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-brain - kb29, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2"You may think you decided to read this story -- but in fact, your brain made the decision long before you knew about it."
You obviously didn't read the "summary" that this guy typed for the story then. Nice one. - JoWiGo, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2It's over. Stop it. It's not original, funny, or worth anyones time. CNN and the mass use have ruined what was once a good joke.
- thecheatah, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Ok NP
- TsuruchiBrian, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1You should listen to Dan Dennett.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness_Explain ...
Basically he argues that it doesn't matter if the universe is deterministic or not. Even if it is random because of quantum mechanics or something, that doesn't grant us free will, and if the universe is deterministic, it is still possible to have all the good parts of concept of "free will".
Basically people don't like to think that their decisions are being made by a bunch of little robots, because that means they are the ones making the decisions not you. But YOU ARE the little robots. THATS YOU. - jamesmudgett, on 04/14/2008, -1/+2Awesome Experiment!
- johnnysaucepn, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Fine, as long as you have no knowledge or memory of the previous decision attempts. Because if you have, even unconsciously, it'll affect the choice you make.
- Laughto, on 04/14/2008, -1/+2Ever wonder why you have 'associates' instead of friends?
- TsuruchiBrian, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1All punishments ARE invalid. But unfortunately the punishers do not have free will either. So it all works out nicely. There is no right and wrong. Just a bunch of robots hurting each other. This is not an idea that is appealing to many people (including me). But it's the most natural conclusion to make knowing what we do about biology.
- tyywebb, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1I knew you were going to say that...
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