If We Could "Fix" People's Minds, Would You Still Believe In Free Will?

The brain is the most complex tool we know of in the universe. We seem to have free will to the extent that we use the tool we have. More information will most likely be forthcoming with more research. It's interesting, but I don't think a definitive answer is possible.

from illnesses then i change to yes

When I get pushed, It just motivates me more, so that free will would always be there waiting for it's opportunity to show itself.

Yes, such cases are. Most of me was sad that the boy remained tumor after surgery to be alone and sad. Sometimes others, such as a company and is smiling and behaves quite differently than it should be. Sometimes I forget that it must be focused on your health, and therefore must always have someone to watch

I don't believe in it anyway.

Thank god you are here.

lol :)

lol

Free will exists, brain damage or abnormalities alter the perception of the brain. Free will exist solely in the frontal lobes based upon information gathered among the other senses and processed. The man that was violent may have perceived a situation in which violence was acceptable. The woman still chose to be a veterinarian under the conditions which she perceived. Alternet published a study illustrating brain development with political thought as a result of perception. http://www.alternet.org/media...

The nurture vs. nature vs. choice argument will continue forever. Clearly we are constrained by our biology, influenced by our environment, and molded by our choices. If we eliminate choice for a moment, the geneticist would say P = f(G, E), in other words, the Phenotype is a function of Genetics and Environment.

Whether I have a choice or not is a matter of faith. It is my experience (i.e., environment) that those who believe they are in control of their destiny have better outcomes than those who believe destiny is predetermined. So I believe in free choice but recognize this believe as one choice I make and a choice that has been influenced by my environment.

Flawed, normal (whatever that is) or any other condition, you still have free will. What you chose under those conditions positive or negative, is still free will.

Its coming, its just a matter of time.

Trauma can alter "concepts" according to Billy, our head doctor. Concepts also explain morality, preferences and behavior. Free will is a very personal thing and basically, everyone has it, with or without a head injury. Putting things "back" after trauma is called "medicine".
Billy might be a bit odd, but he sure knows his stuff!



Dr. William Manchester; MD PhD, LMNOP.

It's not just trauma.
What about psychosis and schizophrenia and other disorders that have unquestionable effects on behavior? What about our own unique brain structure that makes us different from each other? Can you really say a raving lunatic has "free will"?

In a way. Think of existance as being the entire universe being in individual minds. The disorders you mentioned have a cause too; just not necessarily physical trauma. Messed up folks that do what they want certainly have free will. The problem is harm to themselves and others.

No. If you can poke around in someone's brain and make them a different person, then there seems to be only one logical answer, and that is that our brains are us and they are physical and we didn't choose our brains, just like we don't choose our sexuality. You either want/like things or you don't.

until someone sticks a tongue depressor into your gray matter, then you like something else. lol

Any changes in the brain can change peoples behavior, it is a result of the damage and usually subsides after it has healed or been removed like these cases.

Can you prove that? That sounds like an awfully big assertion.

Can you prove it wrong? You ask for opinions then question what people say. Most of the cases I've seen it's true, am I going to waste my time trying to convince you...NO.

What cases have you seen?

It seems the body does its own programming. In these cases surgery fix the problems. If you read "1984", by George Orwell, then you know that the book told of people that need to be programmed to match society. The idea there was to have a uniform society without free will.

Yes unless the brain has been damaged and can no longer have rational thought.

therefore the answer is no.

It's still your will thus its still free will. Besides both of these cases are extreme and unusual and it should come as no surprise that damage to the brain can change a person. After all our brain is what makes us who we are.

lol denial is a bitch. You just said yes and no in the same comment. You were right the second time. The brain is who we are and if you change it you change us, regardless of how rare and extraordinary you think that is.

The brain is not so simple. Our decisions and how we behave is effected by a number of things. Explain to me how individuals who lose chunks of their brain are still their original selves minus that part of their brain? Shouldn't they become totally different? Yes the brain and its make up are very big players to a individuals behavior and desires but they are not the only player. If it we're we'd all be the exact same for the most part. Clearly this is not the case as you could have 3 people in a room and get six opinions on a single matter.

You could take a kidney, you could remove skin, all sorts of places on the body you can cut chunks out of without seriously damaging you. Obviously some parts of the brain are more vital than others in regards to behavior. Plus we have two half brains that seem to work together. your argument is illogical. A complex being is capable of giving the appearance of free will because it is complex, because there are differences.

My arguement is hardly illogical compared to your counter-point. Our discussion was on free will. A kidney or toe are hardly relevent to such matter. You attempt to discribe us as completely pre-programmed incapable of doing anything outside this programming. Humans are born like all animals with base instincts Think of this like a computer that comes straight out of the shop. It has its basic programs however if you and I were to get the exact same computer would it be the same 3 years later? No I'd be willing to wager they would be very different. Same concept with people or any animal. We have innate behaviors but then we also have behaviors and decisions based on experiences and preferences that are not specifically in our design. The mind is flexible. It has to be for if it were not we would not be able to adapt as well as we do nor would me or you even be having this conversation.

sounds like you agree with me, although you may not know it yet. I see us as a mix of nature and nurture of course.

Mental illness or defect repaired yes . altering free will hell no !

another denier who believes in free will AND physics too. Which is it, brain can be ill, or brain has free will? lol