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mistersmith_22 t1_iugn2lk wrote

This is ridiculous:

“this hypothesis is that all of our decisions and actions are actually performed unconsciously, and then remembered consciously about a half-second later. In this way, our brains fool us into thinking we are making conscious actions in the present, when we are only experiencing delayed memories of events.”

I mean. Come on.

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daren_sf t1_iugpz8n wrote

You are never present in the now. On average any input you receive takes 18 milliseconds to travel to the brain and be turned into a thing you experience. Then you process that experience into recognition.

This research seems to be saying that along the way it’s stored as a memory and 482 milliseconds later your brain not only finished processing that recognition, but acted on it a well. All the while doing the same for the continuous input your receive.

I’m actually astounded that’s it’s only 500 milliseconds!

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LunarGiantNeil t1_iugv0op wrote

Perception of reality is display lag.

What drives me nuts are all the people who think just because the perception of consciousness is lagged in this manner that there's no actual thinking, deciding, or choice in the manner, like we're all just robots doing rational things.

If only!

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never987not987 t1_iuhgqov wrote

Google research on split brain patients and you’ll see why it’s true. Free will is a mirage.

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Extension-Ad-2760 t1_iuhjgpt wrote

Or maybe... just hear me out here... someone with a serious mental condition is different to someone without one?

"Google research on sociopaths and you'll see why it's true. Empathy is a mirage"

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never987not987 t1_iuhp5qo wrote

You’re comparing apples to oranges and don’t understand the research.

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Extension-Ad-2760 t1_iuih5x8 wrote

And you're immediately doing an inaccurate ad hominem because you can't think of a good argument against what I said.

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never987not987 t1_iuik4ac wrote

There’s plenty of research on this topic in healthy populations as well. It’s well documented that the decision to act happens well before we are conscious of that decision.

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Extension-Ad-2760 t1_iuimwzt wrote

Yes, I've seen a lot of that. It's never a complex decision, merely detection of brainwaves in preparation of a decision.

Make no mistake, subconscious activity has a lot of effect. But you have absolutely no basis to say that consciousness is an illusion. It's ironic to say that I don't understand the research - you're claiming knowledge on a very complex topic apparently based entirely off of confirmation basis.

Let's just both admit that we don't know how much the subconscious affects our conscious being. But it would be stupid to say that either the subconscious or the conscious is a mirage. They are both real and affect each other.

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