You don't have Free Will.

At least in the way we define free will: The act of consciously making decisions. That doesn't exist in the way we think it to be.

In fact, at least 95% of all decisions you make, of all actions you make, even your thoughts are done on auto pilot. You function on autopilot almost all of the time. Your posts and threads here on ATS, almost 95% done unconsciously. Your thoughts and actions that you make during your entire lifetime? Done without you being consciously aware of it. And the biggest surprise of it all: This automatic behavior can be steered or influenced by outside forces. In fact, controlling your mind is pretty easy it seems.

How is that so? Check out the following article and research it's based on:

Think You're Operating on Free Will? Think Again

There may be few things more fundamental to human identity than the belief that people are rational individuals whose behavior is determined by conscious choices. But recently psychologists have compiled an impressive body of research that shows how deeply our decisions and behavior are influenced by unconscious thought, and how greatly those thoughts are swayed by stimuli beyond our immediate comprehension.

In an intriguing review in the July 2 edition of the journal Science, published online Thursday, Ruud Custers and Henk Aarts of Utrecht University in the Netherlands lay out the mounting evidence of the power of what they term the "unconscious will." "People often act in order to realize desired outcomes, and they assume that consciousness drives that behavior. But the field now challenges the idea that there is only a conscious will. Our actions are very often initiated even though we are unaware of what we are seeking or why," Custers says.

It is not only that people's actions can be influenced by unconscious stimuli; our desires can be too. In one study cited by Custers and Aarts, students were presented with words on a screen related to puzzles — crosswords, jigsaw piece, etc. For some students, the screen also flashed an additional set of words so briefly that they could only be detected subliminally. The words were ones with positive associations, such as beach, friend or home. When the students were given a puzzle to complete, the students exposed unconsciously to positive words worked harder, for longer, and reported greater motivation to do puzzles than the control group.

The same priming technique has also been used to prompt people to drink more fluids after being subliminally exposed to drinking-related words, and to offer constructive feedback to other people after sitting in front of a screen that subliminally flashes the names of their loved ones or occupations associated with caring like nurse. In other words, we are often not even consciously aware of why we want what we want.

Further info on the subject:

Almost all your decisions are made by your unconscious mind

The Unconscious Will: How the Pursuit of Goals Operates Outside of Conscious Awareness


The Unbearable Automaticity of Being (PDF file)






EDIT: Another study on the subject. (thanks again Covertblack!)

Scientific evidence that you probably don’t have free will

For example, a study by John-Dylan Haynes in 2008 showed a similar effect to the one revealed by Libet. After putting participants into an fMRI scanner, he told them to press a button with either their right or left index fingers at their leisure, but that they had to remember the letter that was showing on the screen at the precise moment they were committed to their movement.

The results were shocking. Haynes's data showed that the BP occurred one entire second prior to conscious awareness — and at other times as much as ten seconds.

Unconscious determinants of free decisions in the human brain

Abstract

There has been a long controversy as to whether subjectively 'free' decisions are determined by brain activity ahead of time. We found that the outcome of a decision can be encoded in brain activity of prefrontal and parietal cortex up to 10 s before it enters awareness. This delay presumably reflects the operation of a network of high-level control areas that begin to prepare an upcoming decision long before it enters awareness.

I dont know ive always thought that even though we may be uncounciouslly or even subcounciously controlling ourselves that it still pertains to our "Will." it just may be something we're not aware of.

So in my eyes i believe we do have free will but it is predetermined because the seperation between past present and future is an illusion according to einstein.

to say you dont have free will is to say we are predetermined bio robots almost like an advanced AI, and that this is a matrix or something similair.

s+f for interesting read

How can I turn off my brain then? Sort of like they did in Office Space.

reply to post by Covertblack


What do you mean by turning off your brain???

Originally posted by Belcastro

to say you dont have free will is to say we are predetermined bio robots almost like an advanced AI, and that this is a matrix or something similair.

That's why I said "in the way we define free will". Our subconscious mind is what determines our thoughts and actions IMO. But we can reprogram the subconscious.

Originally posted by TheBandit795
reply to post by Covertblack

 

What do you mean by turning off your brain???

Well, if I'm just going through the motions, how do I put myself on auto pilot until I get home from work?

All this is already known.

Government and companies use these tricks all the time.

It's call advertisments.
(anyone a marketing research analyst?)

Yes, the more one strives to be conscious, to come from a position of making choices, the more they often become aware that there are still many triggers that challenge them. And there is also downtown, sleep, various things that conscious struggles would merely slow us down. The subconscious is skilled, sometimes its more about permissions than forcing all decisions in the cpu region.

But for those areas where we are striving to improve, break away from programs, this is still the daily goal, living consciously.

reply to post by Covertblack


You are already on autopilot at least 95% of the time.

reply to post by TheBandit795


Wait a minute... Not that I don't understand this... So what your saying is even your post Super Mod was not a choice of "Free Will" that there was a second or 2 that you thought... "Hey, I don't have to post this for others to see?" even "Why should I share this". What about the part of you that wanted to share this to help others understand some point of view from the OP?

Sure we have outside influences that help steer our "Habits" or lack there of. But there is still a choice. Left or Right / Up or Down~ To the extent your OP is going to me states that we are all "Pre-Destined and have no say in the matter" Which I wouldn't be totally objective to on my own belief system, but even if you pick the wrong door 3 doors more will still open and one can still retain the path originally set out for themselves through "Trial and Error".

reply to post by TheBandit795


Furthermore, what about when any individual decides to unplug and stop? Was there no free will?

An alcoholic decides to stop? No free will again?

A habitual Video Gamer decides he's wasted to much time and stops buying and playing games? No free will?

The scenerio's are endless~ But no free will?

That is what the whole consumerism is built upon. From design, advertisements, where something is etc. Everything built upon our tendency to make irrational decisions.

In a way, we make the decisions on our own, although what we like and what we feel, comes from our subconscious, which is influenced by different advertisements, people, everything we see, hear and feel around us.

The only way to not be influenced is by simply being extremely analytical and rational, taking everything by numbers and nothing more, although with most products such thing is nearly impossible so we can say that at the end most of our choices are not free will and are influenced by everything we have ever come in contact with.

reply to post by sulaw


Yes there is still a choice. It's primarily done unconsciously. But take note of what I said earlier. We don't have free will in the way we define free will to be. We make choices, but those choices are almost always made before we are even aware of them.

Originally posted by Cabin
The only way to not be influenced is by simply being extremely analytical and rational, taking everything by numbers and nothing more,

That's a conscious decision, which is inferior to a subconscious decision. Your conscious will to do anything, any action will almost always be overpowered by your subconscious will. It's just a lot more powerful.

Originally posted by sulaw
reply to post by TheBandit795

 

Furthermore, what about when any individual decides to unplug and stop? Was there no free will?

An alcoholic decides to stop? No free will again?

A habitual Video Gamer decides he's wasted to much time and stops buying and playing games? No free will?

The scenerio's are endless~ But no free will?

How many of them decide to stop, and fall back in the habit several times before actually coming out, or never coming out again?

reply to post by TheBandit795


Well then I have a problem.... My concious mind and subconcious mind are always at battle.... No drugs, no dependencies, no nothing.... Just the way I always been... Kinda helps me narrow down those 2 voices that keep rattling at each other Some my Concious mind wins and sometimes my Subconcious mind wins.... Sometimes I have to seperate the both and put them on time out as well~ Wait does that mean that there's a 3rd? Dear me~

reply to post by TheBandit795


As is the wheel of life. One has to keep that record skpping until the individiual is "Confident and Secure" in the choices one has made. As like you said one quits and restarts, then quits, restarts et cetera until it either becomes to late or the "Lesson" has been fully learned and accepted by the individual.

reply to post by sulaw


Or they've been at it long enough for the subconscious to accept it in it's new programming. Some say it takes 21 days, some say at least a month.

reply to post by TheBandit795


Sure 1 day doesn't make a trend. And it takes the average human 7 times before one fully understands. Layman Example: Upon burning there hands on the griddle over and over after the 7th time that person realized "HEY" that's hot don't do that"

reply to post by TheBandit795


But is it not the learning process? Do we not make mistakes and bad choices and decision to learn the differences?
As sure, a child doesn't think as a adult would but neither a adult to a senior ~ what's the difference if not the experiances that individual has in there own lifetime.

No one person is the same but the end product is very similar but not the same.