To be precise, the study demonstrated that the decision is registered before the person is able to report having decided. In other words, the oversight of consciousness is simply delayed. This seems perfectly reasonable: the brain is mechanical, there are limits on "bandwidth" and simultaneity.
> Or try to think of a single thought (like a red triangle or pink elephant) for more than a few moments.
This is something that people can and have trained themselves on. It's far from impossible, even if it's not a simple skill.
> To be precise, the study demonstrated that the decision is registered before the person is able to report having decided. In other words, the oversight of consciousness is simply delayed. This seems perfectly reasonable: the brain is mechanical, there are limits on "bandwidth" and simultaneity.
Good point, and I appreciate the clarification. It still seems to suggest (to me) that the "locus" (if there is one) of decision making is in the unconscious portion of the mind, no?
> This is something that people can and have trained themselves on. It's far from impossible, even if it's not a simple skill.
This is what I was hoping to talk about: the idea that we (might) start out as "meat robots" but we have the capacity to develop free will and become "real people" (whatever that might mean.)
Interesting angle, that free will has a quantity. I can certainly see an argument that a more intelligent being has more freedom -- because it has more options available -- so perhaps also more free will.
> Or try to think of a single thought (like a red triangle or pink elephant) for more than a few moments.
This is something that people can and have trained themselves on. It's far from impossible, even if it's not a simple skill.