Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!linus!mbunix!bwk
From: bwk@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Free Will and Self-Awareness
Message-ID: <31495@linus.UUCP>
Date: 10 May 88 20:40:20 GMT
References: <8805092354.AA05852@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: Neurotic Netware, Dendrite Faults, NV
Lines: 15
Summary: I can't get your idea out of my mind.

Eyal Mozes writes:
> ... all the evidence I'm familiar with points to the fact
>that it's always possible for a human being to control his
>thoughts by a conscious effort.

Our thoughts are at least partly influenced by information received
through our senses.  People who have witnessed a disturbing event
in their lives may have trouble getting it off their minds.  I think
most psychologists would agree that at least some portion of the
population is susceptible to unwanted thoughts.  Perhaps these
victims haven't discovered how to engage the conscious mind to
override the invasions of the nonconscious mind.  (By the way, I'm
one of the victims, so I'd be grateful for any guidance Eyal can give me.)

--Barry Kort