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Determinism and Free Will

The human nervous system has become so complex, that it is able to affect its own states, making it functionally independent of its genetic blueprint, and of the objective environment. A person can make himself happy, or miserable, regardless of what is actually happening "outside" just by changing the contents of consciousness.

 — Csikszentmihalyi

Volition [also known as intention or will] is a byproduct of consciousness. Inanimate objects such as marbles or water, which lack consciousness, are slaves to external sources of control. The flow of rainwater through the streams and rivers as it flows down to the sea has no choice but to follow the path of least resistance [also known as the watercourse way]. The same is true for a marble rolling downhill. But you, are different. You possess the faculty of volition, and so you can intentionally influence your actions. And that is an essential difference between you and a turkey.

Consider the turkey

It doesn’t have free will yet it provides excellent care for its young. A turkey spends much time warming and cleaning her young, but this complex behavior is triggered by one thing—the “cheep cheep” sound of her chicks. If the chick makes that sound, the mother will care for it; otherwise she will ignore it. In a research project, a polecat, the turkey’s natural enemy, was stuffed with a tape recording of the “cheep cheep” sound. When the stuffed pole cat was pulled by a string to approach the turkey she attacked it viciously, but when the taped sound was turned on, the turkey not only did not attack it, but gathered it under her to comfort it. When the sound was turned off, she again attacked it.

Unlike turkeys, whose behavior is determined by specific aspects of their immediate environment, you can set long-range goals, develop plans, and make adjustments to your plan until you achieve you goal. 

Advocates of free will argue that something new emerged with human cognition — the ability to think abstractly and use rational problem-solving faculties to achieve intended outcomes — which enables you, unlike turkeys, to have an intentional influence over the course of events. Alternatively, determinists argue that it may just seem that you can exercise the power of will when your actions, like the marble's, are completely determined by external sources of control.

The paradox of volition

How could I have free will in a deterministic world? If my reactions are the necessary consequences of antecedent causes then I have no choice in how I respond, which seems to make volition incompatible with determinism.

Paradoxically, it is my understanding of the biological, psychological, and social determinants of my reactions that enables me to manipulate them in ways that promote the outcomes I want. For example, I have no choice but to obey the laws of classical conditioning, though I can use my understanding of how classical conditioning works to mindfully influence my reactions to the things that happen.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Pavlov researched how an organisms past experiences influences its future reactions by observing the salivary response in dogs. He wasn't particularly interested in salivation; it was just easier to measure than more interesting glandular secretions such as those associated with the fight or flight reaction, which obey the same laws of conditioning.

His research paradigm: It is known that placing acid in a dog's mouth unconditionally elicits salivation. In his lab, Pavlov would ring a bell just before putting acid in the dog's mouth. After several pairings, the dog was "conditioned" to salivate to the bell, even if no acid was placed in its mouth. As a result of participating in Pavlov's research, the dog now salivates when it hears a bell. To get rid of the odd reaction. Pavlov would ring the bell a number of times without placing acid in the dog's mouth, which defines the procedure he called "Extinction."

Conditioning and extinction has been demonstrated with a wide variety of species [including humans] and response systems. The subjects exposed to these procedures are bound to obey the laws of nature. The effects of conditioning and extinction show up whether the subject wants them to or not. However, understanding how these deterministic principles work give you the power to exercise a willful influence over the course of events.

How to cure excessive emotional reactions

Sarah used to love horseback riding until a painful fall caused her to avoid riding even after her physical healing was complete. Her understanding of Pavlovian conditioning and extinction of emotional responses enabled her to exercise her will over the course of events in her life. All effective therapies for fear-related disorders rely on Pavlovian extinction—labeled, "exposure with response prevention" in the clinical literature. Each time she exposes herself to stimuli associated with horseback riding, their power to elicit fear is reduced. There are different forms of exposure therapy appropriate for different circumstances. In Sarah's case, the cure is to get back on the horse. As a rule of thumb, if you choose an exposure strategy that is well-matched to the individual and the circumstance, the resulting Pavolovian extinction weakens the conditioned emotional response as surely as a dropped apple falls toward the center of the earth.

A marble rolling downhill follows the path of least resistance; its behavior is completely determined by forces outside of its control. Sarah, on the other hand, has access to the faculties that enable her to over-ride such deterministic principles. Her intellect and courage give her the power to follow the path she appraises as more advantageous: She wants to enjoy horseback riding in the future. Her abstract processing ability enables her to comprehend the deterministic principles discovered by Pavlov. Her courage enables her to get back on the horse even though the thought of doing so elicits fear.

Sarah continues to enjoy horseback riding to this day; she is proud of her achievement. But there are many domains of her life where she continues to follow the path of least resistance even though it repeatedly leads her to unwanted outcomes. Why doesn't she follow her path of greatest advantage in these domains as well?

Sarah Has Two Minds

The Two-Mind Model helps make sense of the puzzle of will. This model posits two entities: an Experiential Processing System whose reactions are completely determined by antecedent causes, and a Abstract Processing System that can appreciate the pertinent cause-and-effect principles and use these understandings to arrange things in ways that promote its intended outcomes.

The Abstract Processing System is able to consider the likely outcomes of different courses of action and select the most advantageous one, but it is only available when there is a surplus of cognitive resources, which is rarely the case.

 

 

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