Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!pdn!ard
From: ard@pdn.UUCP (Akash Deshpande)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Free Will & Self-Awareness
Message-ID: <3084@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 9 May 88 01:32:40 GMT
References: <4134@super.upenn.edu> <3200014@uiucdcsm> <1484@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo, Florida
Lines: 34


Consider a vending machine that for $.50 vends pepsi, coke or oj. After
inserting the money you make a selection and get it. You are happy.

Now consider a vending machine that has choices pepsi, coke and oj, but
always gives you only oj for $.50. After inserting the money you make
a selection, but irrespective of your selection you get oj. You may feel
cheated.

Thus, the willed result through exercise of freedom of choice may not be
related to the actual result. The basic question of freewill is - 
"Is it enough to maintain an illusion of freedom of choice, or should
the willed results be made effective?". The latter, I suppose.

Further consider the first (good) vending machine. While it was being
built, the designer really had 5 brands, but chose (freely, for whatever
reasons) to vend only the three mentioned. As long as I (as a user of the 
vending machine) don't know of my unavailable choice space, I have the
illusion of a full freedom of choice. This is where awareness comes in.
Awareness expands my choices, or equivalently, lack of awareness creates
an illusion of freewill (since you cannot choose that which you do not
know of). Note that the designer of the vending machine controls the 
freewill of the user. 

Indian philosophy contends that awareness (=consciousness) is fundamental.
Freewill always exists and is commensurate with awareness. But freewill
is also an illusion when examined in the perspective of greater awareness.

Akash
--
Akash Deshpande					Paradyne Corporation
{gatech,rutgers,attmail}!codas!pdn!ard		Mail stop LF-207
(813) 530-8307 o	 			Largo, Florida 34649-2826
Like certain orifices, every one has opinions. I haven't seen my employer's!