The Illusion of Free Will

by I M Probulos

  The risk of both identical twins developing schizophrenia is 48%; with fraternal twins only 17%. When both parents are schizophrenic the risk is approximately 40%

  Early studies of twins estimated the heritability of autism to be more than 90%. Other studies indicated a much lower correlation. One study demonstrated that more than half of the variance in risk was probably explained by shared environmental factors, versus less than 40 percent of the risk owing to genetic heritability. Genetics likely account for about 35% to 60% of the risk.

  Researchers at an international conference on autism presented three new studies lending strength to the notion that environmental influences before birth play a role in the risk for the condition. It may not be specifically genetic but the effect is still the same; it is now part of the child’s biological makeup. He/she is still "born that way."

  Postpartum psychosis

  One common example of a biological/chemical reaction is the one known as postpartum depression. Estimates are that approximately 10 to 15% of women who deliver babies (approximately 4.3 million) in the United States suffer from postpartum mood disorders (PPMDs), including postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety/OCD, and the rare but much more serious postpartum psychosis[iii] which can trigger the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms following childbirth. Some patients have typical manic symptoms, such as euphoria, over activity, decreased sleep requirement, loquaciousness, flight of ideas, increased sociability, disinhibition, irritability, violence and delusions, which are usually grandiose or religious in content. This is different, less common, and much more serious than postpartum depression

  In 2001 in the United States, Andrea Yates, suffering from postpartum psychosis (not postpartum depression), killed her five young children by drowning to exorcise demons. At first Susan was found guilty of murder and sentenced to forty years in prison. After this was overturned on appeal, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital.

  Another case in Texas is Dena Schlosser, who amputated the arms of her eleven-month-old daughter, who subsequently died. She was determined to be suffering from postpartum psychosis and interpreted a television show as “a sign of the coming apocalypse and that she had heard God commanding her to remove her baby's arms and then her own.” Dena Schlosser was also found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital.[iv]

  Several nations including Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Italy recognize post-partum mental illness as a mitigating factor in cases where mothers kill their children. In the United States, such a legal distinction is not currently made. Britain has had the Infanticide Act since 1922.

  In 2009, Texas legislator Jessica Farrar proposed a bill that would recognize postpartum psychosis as a defense for mothers who kill their infants. Under the terms of the proposed legislation, if jurors concluded that a mother's "judgment was impaired as a result of the effects of giving birth or the effects of lactation following the birth", they would be allowed to convict her of the crime of infanticide, rather than murder. The maximum penalty for infanticide would be two years in prison.

  Are these women evil when they experienced postpartum depression and killed their children? The deterministic, chemical processes in their brains were not functioning properly. Like every one of the seven billion people on the planet, these women are complex, biological “machines” and those around them should have been more diligent and proactive. The women were more than likely not able to make rational decisions. Ignoring the science does not prevent tragedies such as these.

  Electrolyte Disorders

  Calcium, magnesium, and zinc–the biochemical sedatives for hyperkinesis and many learning disabilities

  Individuals with a thiamin deficiency can develop Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome , which is characterized by confusion, mental changes, abnormal eye movements, and unsteadiness that can progress to severe memory loss.

  A deficiency of niacin produces many mental symptoms such as irritability, headaches, loss of memory, inability to sleep, and emotional instability.

  Other Deficiencies:

  Calcium: hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia

  Chloride: hyperchloremia and hypochloremia

  Magnesium: hypermagnesemia and hypomagnesemia

  Phosphate: hyperphosphatemia and hypophosphatemia

  Potassium: hyperkalemia and hypokalemia

  Sodium: hypernatremia and hyponatremia

  Symptoms for the conditions above (there were many more but these were the ones that would most the ability to act or decide):

  Fatigue

  Lethargy

  Convulsions or seizures

  Changes in mood and/or coherence (irritability, confusion, depression)

  Headache

  There is now evidence accumulating that indoleamine metabolism is abnormal in depression. There is increasing evidence of abnormal indoleamine metabolism in depression and mania.

  Tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of the indoleamines, administered with or without a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor has a therapeutic action in depressed patients. Tryptophan is one of the 22 standard amino acids and an essential amino acid in the human diet.

  The Human Microbiome

  Most of the functions of your body are automatic, such as coagulation of blood, your heart rate, and respiration. In addition, the human microbiome is the aggregate of microorganisms that reside on the surface and in deep layers of skin, in the saliva and oral mucosa, in the conjunctiva, and in the gastrointestinal tracts. They include bacteria, fungi, and archaea. A study of twenty skin sites on each of ten healthy humans found 205 identified genera in nineteen bacterial phyla.

  The human body is host thousands of bacterial types but we have no active sense that we are invaded by these foreign organisms. It is estimated that 500 to 1,000 species of bacteria live in the human gut. While there are at least ten times the number of bacterial cells in the human body as human cells, since they are so much smaller, they comprise between 1-3% of our total body mass.

  Our body can be alien to itself. Some of what we consider “us” is not even human! The point here is that these automatic systems and foreign organisms are no different whether in your gut or components in your brain. The only difference is our sense of self.

  Autoimmune Conditions

  Autoimmune diseases are a group of conditions caused by an overreaction of your body's immune system. The immune system is designed to attack foreign bodies, such as bacteria, which enter the body and cause infection or inflammation. When your body attacks its own normal tissue, autoimmune disease can occur. There are approximately 80 different autoimmune diseases that doctors have identified where your body kills itself.

  Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system attacks itself. The exact cause is unknown.

  Lupus

  Rheumatoid arthritis

  Type one diabetes

  Certain thyroid disease

  Multiple sclerosis

  Pernicious anemia

  Inflammatory bowel disease

  Psoriasis

  Hashimotos, (aka chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis) is when your immune system attacks your thyroid gland.

  Fibromyalgia

  Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS)

  Steven Johnson syndrome (SJS), a hypersensitivity complex, and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are two forms of a life-threatening skin condition, in which cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis.

  Your own body’s immune system can kill you. You have no control. Think of your brain in the same way. Conditions and diseases of the brain are no different than non-neurological conditions. The issue is that neurological conditions impact our ability to make reasoned choices–and subsequently our notion of free will.

  New Definitions for Old Ideas in a Deterministic World

  Free will is an illusion

  Self-control is an illusion.

  Willpower
is an illusion.

  Blame has no place in our thinking.

  Guilt has no place in our thinking.

  Pride has no place in our thinking.

  Shame has no place in our thinking.

  Vengeance has no place in our thinking.

  The self and the ego is an illusion created by the brain; that you are a driver of all your experiences.

  Choices will always be made; deciding and free will are two separate issues.

  There will always be better choices, preferred results, and positive outcomes.

  Morality does not change. Murder, rape, stealing, oppression, and lying are still anti-social or illegal behaviors.

  Every human is responsible for the results of their actions, regardless of their lack of free will.

  Punishment and/or rehabilitation for anti-social behavior will remain in place.

  Removal from society; permanent incarceration or execution* are all options.

  The greatest effort should be on prevention. How can we create a positive causal ramjet?

  All things being equal, I would say that I am against the death penalty as it is most certainly not applied fairly nationwide. It is biased toward minorities and the poor.

  However, it could also be argued that, from a hard deterministic perspective that a human being was so “broken” and rehabilitation was not possible and, due to the nature of their transgression (Oklahoma City bombing, for example) permanent removal from society was determined to be for the greater good.

  Deterministic Mantras (Affirmations)

  I realize I am a complex biological machine therefore, based on accepting my limitations, I plan for contingencies:

  I check my genealogy to determine my family history for violence, mental illness, inheritable diseases, or addictive behaviors.

  I assess my genetic or personality shortcomings (short temper, ADHD, compulsive, insecure, short, prone to frequent headaches).

  I make a major decision to go back to college and finish my degree or get an advanced degree.

  I make a major decision to get married.

  I make a major decision to lose weight and exercise.

  I make a major decision and commitment of time to learn a new skill (foreign language, play piano, write a book).

  I research and understand the impact of mind control and addictive behaviors on my ability to make reasoned choices.

  I no longer blame, or find fault with past events; my focus is on this very next moment.

  I am dedicated to becoming a positive causal ramjet. I will cascade positive choices through a clear, rational mind.

  I accept that I am a highly-complex, biological computer with humility and use this information to shape my attitudes and behavior to maximize my potential and improve my overall well-being.

  During this entire process it feels like I am in command, in charge, making choices and fully responsible for all outcomes. But I accept this feeling is an illusion and still proceed with my endeavors. My response should be increased activity and energy (not a victim mentality), living in the moment (no blame), thinking positive (stacking probabilities in our favor) accepting the role of probability (a meteorite hitting me on the head). I cannot control chance or my genetic makeup but I will make every effort to use my reason and rationality to optimize my environment.

  Deterministic Positive Affirmations

  I am a highly complex, highly functioning machine and proud of it. My purpose and goal in life is to be the very best functioning machine. I want to maximize my contribution to society, to celebrate this glorious accident known as earth, life, and humankind. I have to fight addictive behaviors, mind control, logical biases, and inaccurate information. I have to be aware of inaccurate causality and deductions.

  If my circuits are not working I implement strategies and tactics to correct them.

  I acknowledge that I am the product of my genetics, genetic expression (epigenetics) and environment. Every gene, every neural firing, every drop of neurotransmitter or endocrinal chemical impacts my final decision at any given moment to:

  Eat the donut, or not.

  Get out of bed, or not.

  Get married, or not.

  Get divorced or not.

  Buy a new car, or not.

  Get a college degree, or not.

  Drink another beer, or not.

  Wear a seatbelt, or not.

  Write a novel, or not.

  Shoot my annoying neighbor who is playing his stereo too loud, or not.

  Accepting that free will is a myth does not mean I no longer try to improve myself, that murder, lying and stealing is okay, or that I am a victim in a meaningless, uncaring universe.

  On the contrary, this knowledge humbles me and urges me to strive more to "know myself" accept my limitations and develop strategies and tactics to maximize my happiness, move myself to the right of the STE line and also make my contribution to moving my fellow humans to the right.

  Accepting the illusion of free will means I now have modern definitions of archaic concepts such as guilt, blame, will power, self-control, courage, and punishment.

  Accepting the illusion of free will means more responsibility, not less. If someone has diminished mental capacity, mental illness, suffered child abuse, or whose genetics is prone to violence, it is my obligation to myself and society to help this person, whether they be a family member, a friend or a stranger. For myself, I have to accept the millions of variables beyond my conscious control and do all that I can to substitute positive environmental influences for negative ones.

  If You Knew You Would Die…

  In five months

  In five days

  In five minutes

  What would you do?

  What would be your next action? What would be important to you and why?

  One reason I decided to write my books is that I could honestly say that if I knew I was going to die in five months, this is what I would do–put my thoughts on paper. I wanted to leave a legacy. I would be gone but my thoughts would live on.

  It’s another interesting thought experiment. Remember, you can think rationally yet reach for the stars–it’s just going home!

  Appendix I

  Books on Free Will and Consciousness

  The asterisk “*” means I have personally read the book.

  Freedom Evolves by Daniel Dennett (2004) [Amazon Link]

  Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets (2008) is a book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that deals with the fallibility of human knowledge. [Amazon Link]

  Free Will by Sam Harris [Amazon Link] *

  Free Will by Derk Pereboom (2009) [Amazon Link]

  Free Will (Oxford Readings in Philosophy) by Gary Watson (2003) [Amazon Link] (pricey at $33.78)

  Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There by Richard Wiseman [Amazon Link]

  Science of Good and Evil by Michael Shermer [Amazon Link] *

  The Illusion of Conscious Will (Bradford Books) by Daniel M Wegner (2004) [Amazon Link]

  The Nonsense of Free Will: Facing Up To A False Belief by Richard Oerton, [Amazon Link]

  Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (2011) [Amazon Link] *

  Who's in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain by Michael S. Gazzaniga [Amazon Link] *

  The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies–How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths (2012) by Michael Shermer [Amazon Link] *

  The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb) [Amazon Link]*

  Gilovich, Thomas How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility Of Human Reason In Everyday Life. (1991). [Amazon Link]

  A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will by Robert Kane's (2004) [Amazon Link]

  Nonsense on Stilts by Massimo Pigliucci [Amazon Link]

  Philosophy of Mind: Contemporary Readings by Tim O'Connor [Amazon Link]

  The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological
Approach by Christof Koch (2004) (429 pages) [Amazon Link]. This book is rather pricey but may be available at the library He is a biophysicist, worked under Francis Crick, and is a professor at Cal Tech.

  The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct by Thomas S. Szasz [Amazon link] *

  Stumbling On Happiness by Dan Gilbert [Amazon Link]*

  The Accidental Mind by David J. Linden [Amazon Link]*

  The Nonsense of Free Will: Facing Up To A False Belief by Richard Oerton [Amazon Link]

  The Nature of Mind by David M. Rosenthal [anthology of articles by many authors]

  Living with Our Genes: The Groundbreaking Book About the Science of Personality, Behavior, and Genetic Destiny by Dean H. Hamer and Peter Copeland [Amazon Link]

  The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker [Amazon Link]

  Authors

  Alfred Mele's "modest" libertarianism (1951-) is an American philosopher and Professor at Florida State; He specializes in irrationality, akrasia, intentionality and philosophy of action.

  Alvin Plantiges argument: God is either powerless to create such a world (without evil/without killing/with humans who obey/where more than 29% go to heaven) does not know that such a world could exist or is not good. Alvin Plantinga's version of the free will defense refutes the logical problem of evil, the argument that to posit the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God in an evil world constitutes a logical contradiction.

  Augustine argued for free will, but only as compatible with God's foreknowledge. He found God blameless for the evil He knows will happen. He solves the problem of evil by blaming man. He felt God was just in punishing man for disobeying him despite the fact that God knew he would disobey him.