Do you believe in fate?

edad
Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:09:49 +0000

fastMEd: at first glance your explanation seems ridiculous. How can you be the only one who is different among the billions of other humans - past, present and future? We know that the brain is the organ responsible for thinking, for analyzing our sensory inputs, and for controlling our muscles and actions. We know that the brain - and resultant human behavior - is extremely complex, but we are making progress in understanding the function of the brain. The progress we make is based on the perspective that the brain is organic and is not exempt from physical laws. With this perspective, we see that the brain and human behavior are determined by the genetically controlled, physical construction of the brain and by the inputs it receives. If we try to examine the brain and human behavior without this entirely deterministic perspective, we are stuck. We can try to postulate that there is some underlying randomness in how the brain works, but randomness is not something that is controlled. When we look at ourselves, we have an overwhelming feeling of having at least some control of our thoughts and actions and the ability to make decisions. We also know that the decisions we make can have important consequences and can determine our fate. So even though it seems improbable, I must embrace your theory/model. Everyone else is part of a deterministic model and is ruled by this model; i.e., “ruled by fate.” I am the only one who is not entirely a part of this causality. Cognito, ergo sum.