Thought for the day: Do humans have direct voluntary control over their beliefs? Per Michael Sudduth: "This is the so-called doxastic voluntarism thesis. According to this view, a cognitive attitude (belief, disbelief, or withholding of belief) is justified only if the cognitive attitude is within our direct voluntary control. However, there is good reason to suppose that this thesis is false..." This is intriguing: I had always assumed that we do not have voluntary control over our beliefs, and I was surprised to find the idea that we do was sufficiently respectable that it had acquired an impressively polysyllabic name....
I came across the term while reading a review by Jeff Wisdom of Owen Flanagan's The Problem of the Soul: Two Visions of Mind and How to Reconcile Them. I bought the book this morning, anticipating a well-reasoned approach to reconciling humanistic expectations with scientific realities. Like Jeff, I have been disappointed that Flanagan has (so far) failed to address the deeper objections to his, fairly orthodox, views. Now I happen to share most of Flanagan's ideas (though not his Buddhism), but this doesn't mean that there are no arguments to be made. Oh well; even if it isn't a rigorous treatment of the subject, it should be an enjoyable read on my flight back to Boston on Monday.
Posted by geoff2 at November 27, 2004 02:26 AMThere was just an interesting study on whether racism was voluntary or involuntary. (There are some people who posit that it's based a fairly deeply "tribalism" response.)
Let me see if I can find the clipping and send it on.
Posted by: Kate S at November 27, 2004 07:45 AMInteresting, I always thought we had control over them, but at times I have been surprised to find, especially in stressful and/or very deeply intimate situations, that I am basically hardwired for some things that are extremely hard if not impossible to repress, though I am not sure if it is a mind or body response. I mean if I am drawn or repulsed by something my reaction is almost physical if not completely physical. It is especially strange when logically my mind is telling me to do one thing, but I find myself doing something else.
Occassionally I find myself having feelings/thoughts that would have never occurred to me, that seem illogical.
Last summer when I witnessed a fatal car accident, I went to the victims as if on auto pilot, I was an EMT long ago so that was not strange to me.
What I saw was both incredible sad and fascinating, from the remains I saw I knew the victim did not suffer, did not even know. Taking it in several thoughts went through my mind, very clinical (so that is what it looks like, no blood, no blood pressure, died instantly, how could that part be perfect yet separated? what kind of force could do that?) but what I did was stop and keep people away, not for their sake but because I instinctively felt "it was not something people (strangers) should see", kind of a biblical covering their nakeness type thing, although there was nothing naked about it. Logically from my mind's believe system, it didn't matter, the person was definitely dead, even today I don't know why I felt that way. I was protecting the dignity of a body part for the sake of the person who was gone. Yet I am fine with my parents plan to donate their bodies to science, at least I think I am ;)