https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg Period 1 Question 4: Free Will en-us 2016-08-24 15:06:28 UTC 2025-12-23 18:14:19 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lovecoffee.png https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119654494 2016-08-24 17:37:01 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119654494 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119696124 According to Harris, "thoughts and intentions emerge from background cases of which we are unaware and over which we exert no coscious control" (Harris 5). Our decisions are based on our experiences and we handle situations based on these experiences. ]]> 2016-08-24 20:04:39 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119696124 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119698555 Past experiences and the way DNA specifically reacts to situations based on those past experiences leads people to one action that is certain for each person. There is only one way for a person to react depending on these factors and the choice is not made by them.]]> 2016-08-24 20:18:48 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119698555 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119709658 Harris believes that past experience and genetics are the driving forces of human action. Free will doesn't exist and the idea that people assume it is composed of is actually, most simply put, out of human control. ]]> 2016-08-24 21:53:47 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119709658 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119712345 Harris believes that our background and past events or experiences are the reasons we make our choices. Since free will is just an illusion according to Harris, the way we were raised and things we encounter during our life are the only true causes of our choices. ]]> 2016-08-24 22:27:12 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119712345 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119712880 Harris believes that the ]]> 2016-08-24 22:32:35 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119712880 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713135 2016-08-24 22:35:51 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713135 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713629 Harris believes that the true causes of our choices comes from past experiences and our DNA. Since Harris believes free will is just an illusion, then we do no actually have control over these predetermined 
choices. ]]> 2016-08-24 22:43:52 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713629 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713687 According to Harris when is comes to decision making, "You are not controlling the storm... You are the storm" ( Harris 14). Informing the reader that they are under the impression of controlling their own choices. However little do people know, their DNA and personal experiences lead them to make important choices in life, forcing people to become the storm raining down on their own reallity.]]> 2016-08-24 22:45:02 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119713687 1000010736 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119714334 Sam Harris subscribes to the tenet that the choices one makes are the culmination of heredity, external factors and life experiences not by desire or whim, contrary to popular belief. Harris spends the first few pages of his book Free Will analyzing an anecdote of criminals Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky in which he goes onto say, "I have to admit that if I were to trade places with one of these men, atom for atom, I would be him" (Harris 4). Harris would take on the same psychologically damaged mind and past experience of repeated rape of said criminals. This hard hitting account hones in on the fact that if they did indeed switch places, Harris has no ancillary will within him to carry out the unspeakable actions that night differently.]]> 2016-08-24 22:53:57 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119714334 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119716485 Sam Harris believes that previous experiences and other prior influences are the main causes of the choices that people make. Harris uses the story of two criminals to show the sad past of them were the reason that they were able to do what they did.]]> 2016-08-24 23:21:17 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119716485 brynnaa10 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119717398 According to Harris, previous experiences are the true causes of our decisions. He claims that free will is only an illusion because we make choices, but those choices are influenced by our past actions or observations. The aspects of our experiences that play into our decisions are usually subconscious, so we believe we have free will, but our choices are really established in advance.]]> 2016-08-24 23:32:30 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119717398 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119720990 The true causes of the choices we made, according to Sam Harris, is prior events - such as an unfortunate coincident or unhappy childhood. Others are actually infinitely more adapt to reading us then we are to reading our motivations than we are. We are also unaware of our neurological events that produce such as changes in our thought, mood, perception, and behavior. ]]> 2016-08-25 00:15:29 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119720990 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119725094 Sam Harris conveys that humans are constrained by their previous experiences, body chemistry, and unconscious minds. This implies that humans are nothing but animals, slaves to learned behavior. Harris also claims that events happen that trigger "casual states of the brain" that lead to certain behaviors, which in turn lead to outcomes in the world.  ]]> 2016-08-25 00:57:47 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119725094 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119725523 Harris's argument presents that the true causes of one's choices are the individual's backgrounds and genetic makeup, consequently forming their unconscious thought that drives them to a certain action. One's unconscious thought is like an inescapable disease, to which we have no authority or control over, despite the popular notion of free will. One cannot hope to be free from their unconscious thought, but can become aware of why they have made certain decisions in their lives. ]]> 2016-08-25 01:02:12 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119725523 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119726676 Sam Harris believes that previous events that took place completely dictate our lives. Free Will does not exist because our choices are based on our past decisions. He also believes that our subconscious as well as genetic makeup play a large role in what we call "free will".]]> 2016-08-25 01:12:19 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119726676 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119728533 According to Harris, the cause for every choice we make in life is triggered by past experiences, which could either create a positive or negative affect. Harris takes the anecdote of Hayes and Komisarjevski into consideration, and makes them sound like complete criminals in the beginning. He later then tells us the past of the two and how one was raped as a child, which helps us understand really why the crime was committed and think of them less as criminals, and more of mentally insane human beings. Our brain takes in information from its surroundings at all times, even when we don't think we are. Our neurological composition has the ability to make decisions in advance, before we are even aware of them. ]]> 2016-08-25 01:30:09 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119728533 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119730285 Harris believes that the choices we make in our lives are dictated not by our consciences and free thought, but rather by the underlying flow of thought that we have no control over. Our choices are shaped by our experiences, our upbringings, and our pasts, which condition and chisel our subconscious into the true decision maker. He believes the forces impacting our daily lives are what truly determine choices before we even make them.]]> 2016-08-25 01:45:44 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119730285 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119732487 According to Harris, the true causes of the choices we make emerge from former events that we have undertaken, in which we have no conscious control over. Even though Harris believes our choices are pre-determined at any particular moment of time, the paths and roads we will cross are not yet ascertained by our mind. The way others around us conduct themselves, impact our own behavior; therefore, our lives are constantly a revolving circle of cause and effect.]]> 2016-08-25 02:10:19 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119732487 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119733646 Harris believes that the events that happen in our past effects the decisions we make now. The reason why we do certain things is because an event that happened in the past, for example if we don't do our homework our grade will go down so we decide to do our homework to prevent that from happening. Harris says that because of this, we don't have any free will. ]]> 2016-08-25 02:22:11 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119733646 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119734353 Sam Harris claims that our choices are caused by, and rely on life experiences from our past. Background and experiences, whether good or bad, determine how we will act or behave. The events that occur in our life take part in shaping who we are as a person and how we will respond to situations that life throws at us. Harris believes that past experiences give us our knowledge and understanding of the world that we need in order to take action and make choices. Without those experiences, an individual would lead a dull life, with no sense of personal achievement or discipline.]]> 2016-08-25 02:30:30 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119734353 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119735313 Harris claims that the true causes of the choices we make stem from our genetics and previous experiences. For example, if someone has had a good or bad experience with something, they will tend to base their decision on that one memory. Because of this, Harris argues that free will is simply an illusion, since we are not making choices just because we can, but because our subconscious is telling us to.

]]> 2016-08-25 02:38:43 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119735313 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739130 Sam Harris claims that our actions and choices are ruled by not only our past actions, but also the actions of others. Free will is a deception that we use to explain why we did something. Some people believe that we are able to make a conscious choice, but Harris says that we react in a situation based off of our past experiences without being fully aware. He also believes that most of our choices come from our unconscious, so we are unaware of our decision that we make.]]> 2016-08-25 03:17:38 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739130 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739694 Sam Harris believes past experiences and the decisions of others ]]> 2016-08-25 03:25:30 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739694 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739792 Sam Harris believes past experiences and the decisions of others are the true causes for the choices we make.]]> 2016-08-25 03:26:53 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739792 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739896 Sam Harris believes the causes of the choices people make is based on their past experiences throughout their life and also based off other people's decisions. Harris believes that free will is an illusion created by humans to explain why people act, do, or choose what goes on in their lives. Some people say that the choices we make are conscious ones and we are aware of what we choose to do, but Harris believes that the choices we make are based on unconscious happenings that we are unaware of.]]> 2016-08-25 03:28:28 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739896 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739995 2016-08-25 03:29:44 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119739995 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740097 Sam Harris believes that people can do what they decide to do but, they cannot decide what they decide to do. Harris concludes that the actual reasoning for the choices people make is positioned by the concept that ones own past actions and consequences are the ultimate factor when it comes to decisions. ]]> 2016-08-25 03:32:21 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740097 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740251 Sam Harris supposes that choices are made subconsciously by the brain with no free will of the individual taking part in decision making. Harris elaborates on his stance by asserting that past encounters influence everything we do as a whole because we do not have the power to independently make a decision.]]> 2016-08-25 03:35:58 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740251 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740969 Sam Harris claims that past experiences, DNA, mental health, and experiences are the true causes of the choices we make. He believes there is a reason behind every move we make and every thought we think and that there is no such thing as free will or a higher being controlling us. In other words, our choices are not conscious but instead based upon unconscious situations we are not fully aware of.]]> 2016-08-25 03:46:26 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119740969 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119742679 According to Harris the true cause of the choices we make are love, experience, and hatred. But hatred is based on our prior experience. Hatred is not about the person it is about their belief and experiences. Which can in some ways is contradictory. ]]> 2016-08-25 04:11:09 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119742679 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119744348 Sam Harris leads the reader to believe that us as humans do not choose our fate as much as we are influenced by our past experiences, subconscious and surroundings. He voices a very strong vision in his novel, Free Will, regarding the minds lack of control on our actions, blaming our pre-determined DNA and our unpredictable subconscious on the "choices" we seem to make on our own. ]]> 2016-08-25 04:27:25 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119744348 1000020476 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119744525 Sam Harris argues that our thoughts and actions are determined by events in our brain of which we are not conscious.  Furthermore, any such "brain event" stems from earlier causes of which we are also unaware.  So the concept of "free will" is an illusion.  All of the choices we make are predetermined by past choices and so on and so on and so on. ]]> 2016-08-25 04:30:04 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119744525 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119746011 Harris believes that the true causes of the choices we make are "our previous experiences, body chemistry and unconscious thoughts allow". Though what appears to be a "choice" is really influenced by these things. An example of this would be let's say you were born without legs, your body chemistry will only allow you to make certain "choices". Everything you ever do can be traced back to a cause, your "choice" is just the effect, well at least according to Harris.]]> 2016-08-25 04:51:15 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119746011 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119749449 Sam harris states that the causes of the choices people make are their genetics and past experiences. He believes that each person has a unique upbringing, but if two people expierienced the same exact life events their genetics would create the upbringing to have a different affect on the individual]]> 2016-08-25 05:43:00 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119749449 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119749656 Life experiences, genes, and one's brain ultimately drive ones decision making according to Sam Harris. He states that we don't have control over the outcome of situations but really it is our past lives and influences that make the decision for us giving us the illusion of free will. Harris unfolds a story of a couple of men, Komisarjevsky and Hayes, who having kidnapped and raped a girl ultimately, as Harris states, don't truly know why they are as they are. He claims that anyone with the identical life, brain, and DNA would do the same thing.

]]> 2016-08-25 05:47:15 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119749656 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119751466 Sam Harris argues that previous experiences are subconsciously filtered through the brain in order to make one's choices in life. Free will is merely an illusion, therefore we are not capable of making our own decisions. Prior influences create a domino effect that lead the mind to react to a situation in a certain way.]]> 2016-08-25 06:12:01 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119751466 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119755083 Sam Harris believes that our choices are not determined based off of our conscious mind, but instead are predetermined by our genetics and past experiences. Free will is only a facade which hides the fact that none of us are actually in control of ourselves as we live out our days toward a future that is already established.]]> 2016-08-25 06:50:55 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119755083 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119811418 Sam Harris believes that our choices we make are not determined by us at all but based off our passed experiences and are determined by the influences we have in our past, and those choices in the past are based of influences in the even later past. Harris believes that we all have pre-determined DNA, this DNA is the cause of every choice we believe that we make under the guise of free will. Based on Sam Harris's argument it is safe to assume that he believes that we should not be held accountable for our actions because we have no other choice but to commit the action.]]> 2016-08-25 14:01:30 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119811418 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119812213 Sam Harris believes that our actions are not based on a free and conscious mind, but on the past experiences of an individual. The choices we make in the past will alter the "choices" of the future. Ultimately, its these past experiences that make us who we are. Every fiber of our being, according to Harris, can be traced back to one of these decisions that we've made. We have no free will according to him]]> 2016-08-25 14:04:07 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119812213 https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119819248 Sam Harris believes that our actions are not based on free will, but rather based on our past experiences and our subconscious]]> 2016-08-25 14:24:18 UTC https://padlet.com/charrington4/rg52ea54o9tg/wish/119819248