Hmmm... probably not as much as I would like to think. I think that goes for all of us. But, can what we think about ourselves and our thinking really be taken as truthful? Our minds deceive us (or we deceive ourselves?) a lot.
I think less than we are a product of multitudes of experiences we have had in our individual lives. I do not believe in free will, but I also think it is too complex of a subject for most people, so I don't engage in debating the concept too often. That said, I don't believe in biological determinism either. Biology might offer predisposition towards certain things but I think it is the experiences of life that strengthen the neural pathways in our brains that lead to behaviors more so than just biology.
I do not believe in dualism, but I do believe in the concept of the strange loop in that the beginnings of "consciousness" as we know it are lost and cannot be found again since consciousness is now like a loop rather than a linear process. Thus, while I find the idea of "finding the cause of consciousness" interesting, I think it is a waste of time to see some ultimate first cause or "beginning". It is lost to us and always will be.
Sometimes. Watching my nephew grow up (he's 11 now), I try to remember what it was like to be that age and be naive or just plain unknowing about different things as he is. I can't though. It's like once I've experienced something I can never truly forget it.
).I would describe my personal philosophy as a bit of a mix of existentialism and pragmatism. Funny since one was part and parcel with the Continental movement and one was part and parcel with the early American Analytic view.
It may also seem strange too that I say I identify with the existentialist since I just stated above that I don't believe in free will, but I will try to explain.
To me, to argue against free will brings up the inevitable question "How does one change a behavior then? Why doesn't one always choose the same behavior? How does one change?" The key to me is knowledge. Adding knowledge into the system of life experiences affects the probabilities of making what was the most probable choice prior to the input of the new knowledge.
So, for example, if when offered a choice between two pieces of fruit such as an apple or an orange, various stimuli that could affect the decision aside, I might be more probable to take the apple because I grew up in a state eating apples my whole live since it is a staple crop here in Michigan. But, adding stimuli in such as thirst and dehydration, I might be more probable to choose the orange instead of the apple. But, again, if I am not dehydrated or thirsty, then the probability of choosing an apple is higher and I go for an apple.
But what if new knowledge is added to the state of analysis (I think most of this is subconscious by the way)? So, for example, I have learned new facts like an orange contains more Vitamin C than an apple and Vitamin C can help strengthen the immune system and prevent or fight off colds? Well, if the fruit is offered in winter when colds are more probable then I may now opt for the orange even though I may not be dehydrated or thirsty because my analysis is that the orange would be a better option whereas if I didn't have the additional knowledge I would be more probable to choose the apple.
I find this kind of subconscious analysis to be in the vein of pragmatism. Asking what works better here, what has the best outcomes, both short term and long term is what my mind is doing. But, I also find this to be existential too since I do believe change can be affected and a sense of self-direction brought about (even though it is in actuality somewhat illusory).
Because of this understanding I place a high premium on explaining things to people. When I give my nieces and nephews directions, I don't just tell them do this or do that or don't do this or don't do that. I also explain to them why they need to do this or do that or don't do this or don't do that - because I understand that by giving them explanation I am affecting the probabilities that in the future they may make good choice or bad choices, all dependent on the level of knowledge input they have had in their lives.
Disgusting little things. Just fucking gross!
-Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings
