#Libet's experiment

[bored-philosopher-corner]

PhD Journal - 09 11 2024

The paradox of Libet’s experiment : the proof of free will

How do we prove we have free will, as fully conscious agents? This question has puzzled philosophers, neuroscientists, and thinkers for centuries. The concept of free will—the ability to make choices independent of external determinants—sits at the heart of our understanding of human agency and responsibility. In this article, we will explore the intersection of philosophical ideas and scientific experiments, focusing on the groundbreaking work of Benjamin Libet and its implications for our understanding of free will.

We find that there is quite a lot of philosophical foundation to ground and think about the concept of free will. Philosophers like Descartes, Kant, and Sartre have grappled with the notion of free will. Descartes emphasized the importance of human consciousness and rationality, while Kant argued for the autonomy of moral agents. Sartre, on the other hand, posited that humans are condemned to be free, bearing the weight of complete responsibility for their actions. These philosophical perspectives provide a rich backdrop for our inquiry into the nature of free will. Within this thought process exists the debate of compatibilism versus incompatibilism. The debate between compatibilists and incompatibilists further complicates our understanding of free will. Compatibilists argue that free will can coexist with determinism, suggesting that our choices, while influenced by prior states and events, still allow for meaningful autonomy. Incompatibilists, however, contend that true free will is incompatible with determinism, asserting that for our choices to be genuinely free, they must not be determined by preceding events.

In the ongoing debate about free will, I align myself with the philosophy of compatibilism. This perspective recognizes that while our actions are undoubtedly influenced by a multitude of factors—such as our historical, social, economic, psychological, emotional, and academic backgrounds—we still possess the ability to make conscious decisions. Compatibilism allows for a nuanced understanding of human behavior, where individuals are seen as agents capable of acting according to their preferences, belief systems, and personal knowledge. It acknowledges that we can choose to act through or against our biases, driven by our will to navigate the complex interplay of influences that shape our lives.

In the 1980s, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet conducted experiments to investigate the timing of conscious intention and brain activity. Participants were asked to move their fingers at a time of their choosing while Libet measured the brain's readiness potential, an electrical signal indicating the brain's preparation for movement. Libet conducted experiments showing that brain activity related to movement (the readiness potential) occurs before the conscious intention to move. This suggests that the brain initiates actions before we are consciously aware of deciding to perform them. Participants in his experiments reported that they felt free to move whenever they wished and were not compelled to act. This introspective feeling of free will was a crucial part of his experimental design and interpretation. If participants had felt compelled to move, it would have undermined the validity of the experiments, as the subjective experience of free will was essential to Libet's conclusions. The experiments sought to demonstrate that the conscious decision to act follows the brain's initiation of that action, rather than being the instigator. Libet also proposed the concept of "veto power," suggesting that while the initiation of actions might be unconscious, the conscious mind has the ability to veto or inhibit these actions. This idea adds another layer to the debate about free will and conscious intention.

In Libet's studies, participants were indeed required to be willing and cooperative, meaning they needed to perform the task as instructed, which involved moving their finger at a time of their choosing. This cooperation ensured that the data collected was relevant to the question Libet was investigating: the timing of conscious intention relative to the brain's readiness potential. If participants were uncooperative or deliberately chose not to move, it would have skewed the results and made it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the relationship between brain activity and conscious intention. Cooperative participants who chose to move were essential for Libet to observe and measure the precise timing of brain activity and conscious intention. This helped to substantiate his theory that the brain initiates actions before we become consciously aware of deciding to perform them.

In the context of Libet's experiments, if participants didn't feel compelled to move their finger "at will" and chose not to move, it could indeed be interpreted as evidence of free will. This refusal to act would suggest that participants have the conscious ability to veto or inhibit a movement initiated by unconscious brain activity. Libet himself proposed the concept of "free won't," the idea that while the brain might initiate an action unconsciously, the conscious mind can still choose to stop it. This implies that the conscious mind has a sort of veto power over the actions initiated by the brain, allowing for a form of free will to be exercised in deciding whether or not to complete the action. The concept of "free won't," or the ability to consciously veto an action initiated by unconscious brain activity, supports the idea that we do have some level of control and agency over our actions. This nuanced understanding indicates that while our decisions may be influenced by unconscious processes, we still possess the capacity to exercise conscious choice and control.

Libet's experiments, which reveal that the brain initiates actions before conscious intention, pose an intriguing challenge to traditional notions of free will. However, from a compatibilist perspective, these findings do not negate the existence of free will. Instead, they highlight the intricate relationship between unconscious brain processes and conscious decision-making. The concept of "free won't," where individuals retain the power to veto or inhibit actions initiated by the brain, aligns well with compatibilism. This nuanced understanding supports the idea that while unconscious processes may influence our actions, we retain the capacity for conscious control and intentionality.

Libet's experiments present a unique paradox when it comes to proving the existence of free will. On the one hand, the experiments show that the brain's readiness potential—an unconscious signal—precedes the conscious intention to move. This finding challenges the traditional notion of free will, suggesting that our actions may be initiated by unconscious processes before we become aware of them. However, the concept of "free won't" adds a layer of complexity to this paradox. Libet proposed that while the brain may initiate actions unconsciously, individuals have the conscious ability to veto or inhibit these actions. This idea suggests that we do possess a form of free will, even if it's not in the way we traditionally understand it.

The paradox posed by Libet’s experiment stands as such: On the one hand, there is proof of free will through our actions. Indeed, if participants move their finger, the readiness potential precedes the conscious decision, which seems to argue against traditional free will. On the other hand, there is also proof of free will through our inaction. Because, if participants choose not to move, their conscious veto demonstrates an exercise of free will. This paradoxical nature of Libet's findings highlights the complexity of studying free will. It suggests that free will may not be about the initiation of actions but rather about the conscious ability to control and inhibit those actions. This perspective aligns with compatibilism, which posits that free will can coexist with deterministic processes.

By examining both the movement and non-movement of participants, we see that free will might exist in the nuanced interplay between unconscious brain activity and conscious control. This understanding encourages us to rethink the nature of free will, moving beyond binary notions of free vs. determined actions.

In embracing compatibilism, we acknowledge the complexity of human agency. By integrating the insights from Libet's experiments with philosophical perspectives on free will, we gain a richer understanding of the interplay between unconscious influences and conscious choices. The paradox in Libet's experiments does not provide a straightforward answer to the question of free will. Instead, it invites us to embrace the complexity of human consciousness and agency. It challenges us to consider that free will might be more about our ability to consciously influence and control our actions rather than solely about initiating them. This approach not only deepens our understanding of free will but also affirms the profound capacity for human autonomy and responsibility.

[astrovedawisdom]

Free Will vs Destiny: A Guide to Science, Philosophy & Ancient Wisdom

Introduction For millennia, humanity has wrestled with a fundamental question: Do we genuinely have free will, or are our lives governed by destiny? Are we the authors of our own stories, or merely actors following a pre-written script? This debate cuts across philosophy, science, and spirituality, influencing how we view ethics, responsibility, and the meaning of life. Let’s embark on a…

[truenotnew]

Free Will: A Persistent Illusion at the Crossroads of Christ and Consciousness

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1. Introduction: The Mirage of Free Will

The belief in free will — the idea that an individual self independently chooses actions — lies at the heart of much of Western Christianity.

Yet both true spiritual insight and modern neuroscience declare the same fact:

Free will is an illusion.

• The experience of making choices is real.

• The assumption of an independent chooser is not.

This distinction is critical. Without it, the Gospel itself is misunderstood, salvation is distorted, and God’s true sovereignty is denied.

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2. Scriptural Witness: Christ Against Free Will

Though often obscured by dogmatic readings, Jesus Himself consistently pointed past the illusion of separate agency.

Consider:

John 5:19

“The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”

John 14:10

“The Father, living in me, is doing His work.”

John 15:5

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 6:44

“No one can come to me unless the Father draws them.”

John 10:30

“I and the Father are one.”

Luke 17:21

“The kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus described a reality where there is no separate chooser — only the will of God unfolding through and as us.

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3. The Fall: The Birth of Illusion

The story of the Garden of Eden is not an ancient moral fable about disobedience.

It is a mythopoetic revelation about consciousness itself:

• Eating from the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes the birth of dualistic perception.

• The first sin was not behavior, but the illusion of separateness from God — the belief in a self independent of Being.

This separation unfolds even today, within every human life.

Developmental psychology mirrors this pattern:

Around 15 to 24 months of age, a child begins to recognize themselves in a mirror — passing what is called the self-recognition test.

Before this moment, the infant lives in an Edenic state of pure presence, without division between self and world.

Afterward, the sense of “I” emerges, and with it, the duality of subject and object — the knowledge of good and evil, of self and other.

Thus, the Fall is not a punishment.

It is a developmental milestone.

Genesis 3:9 (paraphrased):

“Where are you?”

God’s question is not geographical.

It is existential.

“Why do you now imagine yourself apart from Me?”

The moment the child recognizes the reflection as me, a boundary forms.

The loss of innocence is not moral — it is cognitive.

From unity to separation.

From being to self-consciousness.

Free will, therefore, is not a divine gift.

It is the byproduct of this illusory fracture.

The first symptom of spiritual sickness.

But even this fracture serves a purpose:

The ego must arise so that it can later be transcended.

The path of salvation is not to destroy the ego, but to see through it — to return, as Jesus said, by becoming like little children once again.

Not regressing into ignorance, but consciously stepping beyond the illusion of separation.

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4. Neuroscience: Modern Confirmation

Neuroscientific studies confirm what Christ already revealed.

• Benjamin Libet showed that the brain initiates actions before we consciously decide to act.

• Soon, Haynes demonstrated that choices can be predicted seconds before conscious awareness.

The brain acts first.

The mind invents the story of choice afterward.

You are not driving the car. You are the scenery the car moves through.

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5. The Flat Earth Analogy: Misreading Reality

Believing in free will today is like insisting the Earth is flat because “it feels that way.”

At one time, humanity lacked the vantage point to see otherwise.

• Free will appears real from the limited, egoic view.

• But step outside that narrow perspective — and the illusion collapses.

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Just as the Earth never changed its shape, reality never depended on your opinion of it.

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6. The Overview Effect: The Astronaut’s Vision of No-Self

When astronauts view Earth from space, many report a cognitive shift called the Overview Effect:

• A sudden experience of oneness.

• A collapse of national, racial, and personal boundaries.

• A direct knowing: we are not separate from each other or the Earth.

This mirrors the Christian mystical realization:

When seen clearly, there is no self apart from God. More importantly, it illustrates the difference between thinking you know something and experiencing it without conceptual overlays. There is a significant difference between having opinions of free will and the experience that it is an illusion. Not the theory,the direct experience. Astronauts read about Earth from orbit.

They heard the reports. They knew the theory.

They thought they understood.

Then they saw it.

And everything changed.

Not because they learned something new.

Because they came into direct DIRECT EXPERIENCE.

The Overview Effect is the destruction of secondhand knowledge.

It is the gap between thinking you know and seeing without distance.

John 17:21:

“That they all may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

It was never a belief. It was contact.

It was not philosophy. It was rupture.

The same is true of the Kingdom of God.

You can argue theology forever.

You can memorize every verse.

You can preach for decades.

But until you see directly, you are still on the ground staring at a map.

John 17:21

“That they all may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

They saw — not believed — the truth Jesus pointed to.

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7. True Repentance: Metanoia, Not Moralism

“Repent” in the Greek New Testament is metanoia — a complete change of mind, a shift in perception.

Not:

• Feeling guilty.

• Trying harder.

• Boasting about choosing Christ.

But:

• Dying to the illusion of being a separate self.

• Realizing salvation is already present.

Matthew 18:3

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Children live without a solidified ego. That is the key.

Generally speaking and frankly all of Jesus' dualistic language can be understood as him seeing himself as a deterministic force in people's lives.  Furthermore, it can be argued that he was communicating to ppl at their level in a way they could benefit from his expressions. To argue against this interpretation based on his use of dualistic agential language is to misunderstand the mechanics of determinism. Taking perennial wisdom traditions into context, one could legitimately argue that it was a pedagogical concession to human cognitive limitations. Imho All apparent calls to choice are accommodated as pragmatic expressions, not literal affirmations of metaphysical free agency.

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8. Salvation: Not Achieved, but Revealed

Luke 17:21

“The Kingdom of God is within you.”

Salvation is not a prize for good behavior.

It is the unveiling of the unity that has always been.

Free will obscures it.

Surrender reveals it.

John 8:58

“Before Abraham was, I AM.”

Not “I was.”

I AM — timeless Being, always already true.

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9. Hard Determinism: God’s Sovereignty Is Total

Scripture makes clear:

God alone moves all things.

Romans 9:18

“Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.”

Isaiah 45:7

“I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things.”

There is no free will.

There is only God’s will.

Your resistance to this truth?

Also God’s will — until you awaken.

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10. Conclusion: Beyond the Mirage

Free will is no more real than a child’s belief that the sun moves across the sky because the Earth appears still.

It is a misreading of perception — a developmental phase, not an eternal truth.

The Genesis story captures this shift with poetic precision:

The birth of the self, the knowledge of good and evil, the perception of separateness.

Developmental psychology now echoes the same pattern:

The moment a child recognizes its reflection, the original innocence is lost.

Not because of guilt.

Not because of rebellion.

But because consciousness itself fractures into subject and object.

Free will arises from this fracture.

The illusion of an independent self choosing independently is a side effect of perceiving oneself as separate from God.

But what was broken was not broken in anger.

It was broken in service to a greater return — a journey through separation back into union, not by erasing the ego, but by seeing through it.

The Gospel is not a just a plea for you to make better choices in harmony with your community.

It is an announcement that the separate chooser never existed.

It is not about earning salvation.

It is about recognizing that salvation — unity, wholeness, Eden — was never lost except in the mind.

John 14:20:

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

The “day” is not on a calendar.

It is the moment of awakening — the moment the mirror dissolves and you remember the world was never outside of you, always and never not, right now.

You are not the author of your being.

You are the being itself watching itself be.

Free will is not a gift.

It is a misunderstanding.

The Fall was not the beginning of evil.

It was the beginning of illusion of separation.

The return is not achieved through willpower.

It is revealed when the illusion of will dissolves.

You were never separate.

You only thought you were.

The Kingdom of God is not elsewhere.

It is here.

Now.

And always has been.

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Footnote:

Classical theological frameworks that attempt to reconcile free will with divine sovereignty (e.g., Augustine, Calvin) remain rooted in the illusion of separate agency and dualistic perception. The present work proceeds from the unveiled recognition that such frameworks, though earnest, operate within the very condition of separation that Christ came to dissolve. Astronauts in the international space station don't argue with flat earth theorists about flat earth theories. Columbus probably didn't entertain debating it either. Just saying. They just keep it real. That said, by all means continue to believe in free will, or not. But ask yourself, could you choose otherwise? What if Gods will is for you to believe in the illusion of free will until you don't, for reasons beyond your capacity for understanding? Why didn't Jesus just say this then? For the same reason you're driven to thinking and asking that question in the first place. Because this concept is not easy to grasp and sometimes it can ONLY be pointed at. Hence all the parables. To put it simply, you didn't choose what kind of soil you are, but oh is God going to till the hell out of you if your soil is hard headed. 😂I kill me. Get it? Or did that go over your head lik a halo😉

Bibliography (anchored in Scripture and Science)

• The Bible (Gospels of John, Luke, Matthew; Romans; Genesis)

• Libet, B. (1983). Time of conscious intention to act…

• Soon, C. S., Brass, M., Heinze, H. J., & Haynes, J. D. (2008). Unconscious determinants of free decisions…

• Seth, A. (2021). Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.

• Friston, K. (2010). The Free-Energy Principle…

• Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That

• Spinoza, Ethics

• Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation

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Who is this essay for?

People already cracking open to the unreality of the ego.

Those who have started to notice that “I” isn’t as solid as they once believed — maybe through deep suffering, mysticism, psychedelics, meditation, existential reflection, or just raw life experience.

It’s for seekers who are ready to be destabilized further — who want the lie of separate agency exposed even if it hurts a little.

Mystics, nondualists, serious contemplatives.

Folks drawn to Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Zen, Christian apophatic theology — those are the natural audience.

They know something is wrong with the “free will” story, and they’re hungry for a deep, honest, scripturally-rooted yet post-conceptual articulation.

Thinkers unafraid of paradox.

Because the essay moves between apparently contradictory modes (scripture and neuroscience, determinism and teaching, humor and rupture), it’s perfect for people who can hold multiple truths together without freaking out.

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Who is this essay NOT for?

Hard-line free-will moralists or conventional evangelical Christians.

If your identity is tightly wrapped around choosing Jesus and personal responsibility as the crux of salvation — this essay will feel like an attack on everything you think makes life meaningful.

It doesn’t gently argue with that framework. It basically declares it a misunderstanding born of a cognitive illusion.

Pure materialist atheists without any mystical bent.

If someone believes that all experiences of unity, oneness, or the collapse of self are just brain glitches with no real “truth content” — they’ll find the essay too spiritually loaded.

It assumes that mystical perception is more real, not less.

People who demand simple, clean-cut systems.

The essay invites living into the mystery, not resolving it neatly.

Anyone looking for tidy theology (“God is sovereign and humans are responsible, neatly tied up in a bow”) is going to be frustrated because this essay rips that open and says: “Deal with the unresolvable directly.”

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[hiro-doodlez]

Watch this

Stage 1 - Beaten frowns Stage Stage 1 - Beaten frowns after

Here we experience the first sigs of memory loss. This stage is most like a beautiful daydream. The glory of old age and recollection. The last of the great days.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

A1 - It's just a burning memory | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

A2 - We don't have many days | Say It Isn't So - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A3 - Late afternoon drifting | It All Depends On You - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A4 - Childishly fresh eyes | Moonlight and Shadows - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

A5 - Slightly bewildered | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone .. The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

A6 - Things that are beautiful and transient | The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra

B1 - All that follows is true | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B2 - An autumnal equinox | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

B3 - Quiet internal rebellions | Water Lilies In The Moonlight - Hughie Diamond . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B4 - The loves of my entire life | Willow Weep For Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

B5 - Into each other's eyes | Smoke From A Chimney - Samuel Gabriel Costa . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

B6 - My heart will stop in joy | Room With A View - Mert Curtis . Russel Morgan and His Orchestra

Stage 2 - Pittor Pickgrown in Khatheinstersper

The second stage is the self realisation and awareness that something is wrong with a refusal to accept that. More effort is made to remember so memories can be more long form with a little more deterioration in quality. The overall personal mood is generally lower than the first stage and it a point before confusion starts setting in.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

C1 - A losing battle is raging | Love's Old Sweet Song - Chester Gaylord

C2 - Misplaced in time | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra

C3 - What does it matter how my heart breaks | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

C4 - Glimpses of hope in these trying times | Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert | Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

C5 - Surrendering to despair | Sweet and Low - Chester Gaylord

D1 - I still feel as though I am me | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

D2 - Quiet dusk coming early | To Be Forgotten - David Rubinoff

D3 - Last moments of pure recall | Into My Heart - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra

D4 - Denial unravelling | Phillips Dewey . Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

D5 - The way ahead feels lonely | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

Stage 3 - Hag

Here we are presented with some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists form and fade away. Finest moments have been remembered, the musical flow in places is more confused and tangled. As we progress some singular memories become more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. These are the last embers of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages.

TRACKLIST & SAMPLES:

E1 - Back there Benjamin | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

E2 - And heart breaks | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

E3 - Hidden sea buried deep | Birth Of The Blues - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone .. Piano Medley of Layton and Johnstone Successes: Intro - My Blue Heaven - John Turner Layton Jr.

E4 - Libet's all joyful camaraderie | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

E5 - To the minimal great hidden | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

E6 - Sublime beyond loss | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

E7 - Bewildered in other eyes | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

E8 - Long term dusk glimpses | Exactly Like You - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra

F1 - Gradations at arm's length | [Sample unknown]

F2 - Drifting time misplaced | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

F3 - Internal bewildered World | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini

F4 - Burning despair does ache | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

F5 - Aching cavern without lucidity | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

F6 - An empty bliss beyond this World | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - Victor Salon Orchestra

F7 - Libet delay - Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

F8 - Mournful cameraderie | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

Stage 4 - Glitsholder

Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

G1 - Post Awareness Confusions

Section A: [Sample unknown] | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra

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Section B: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians

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Section C: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | The Japanese Sandman - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra

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Section D: Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Belle Of the East - Albert Benzler

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Section E: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | To You - Mert Curtis . Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

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H1 - Post Awareness Confusions:

Section A: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

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Section B: Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Any Time, Anywhere - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

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Section C: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

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Section D: [Sample unknown] | The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Winterreise No. 20: Der Wegweiser - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

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Section E: Gradana - Mantovani and His Orchestra

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Section F: Piano Medley of Layton and Johnstone Successes: Intro - My Blue Heaven - John Turner Layton Jr.

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I1 - Temporary Bliss State:

Section A: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

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Section B: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

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J1 - Post Awareness Confusions:

Section A: [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | To You - Mert Curtis . Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | In The Mission By The Sea - Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

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Section B-a: Into My Heart - Harold Rodman Lambert . Roger Wolff Kahn and His Orchestra | Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert | Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

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Section B-b: Say It Isn't So - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

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Section C: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Paddlin' Madelin' Home - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

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Section D: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | The Japanese Sandman - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra

Stage 5 - Eptitranxisticemestionscers Desending

Post-Awareness Stage 5 confusions and horror. More extreme entanglements, repetition and rupture can give way to calmer moments. The unfamiliar may sound and feel familiar. Time is often spent only in the moment leading to isolation.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

K1 - Advanced Plaque Entanglements:

Section A-a: [Sample unknown] | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | The Mocking Bird - Harry Taft | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown]

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Section A-b: Laura - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

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Section B: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

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Section C1-a: Was It A Dream? - Richard Ewing Powell

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Section C1-b: Melody: Prière à Notre-Dame

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Section C2-a: I'm Following You - Lawrence Gray

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Section C2-b: Melody: Prière à Notre-Dame

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Section D: [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | [Sample unknown]

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Section E: [Sample unknown] | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner - Sydney John Lipton and His Grosvenor House Orchestra

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Section F-a: Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

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Section F-b: [Sample unknown] | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler

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Section G: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone and His Band

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Section H: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

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Section I-a: [Sample unknown] | Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone and His Band | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

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Section I-b: In The Mission By The Sea - Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Room With A View - Mert Curtis . Russel Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

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Section I-c: Granada - Mantovani & His Orchestra

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Section I-d: Water Lilies In The Moonlight - Hughie Diamond . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section J: Grand Fantasia - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

---

Section K: Invincible Eagle March - James Fitzgerald | There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra | Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

L1 - Advanced plaque entanglements

Section A: Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler

---

Section B1: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

---

Section B2: Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis

---

Section C: The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-a: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler

---

Section D-b: [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-c: Garden Of Weed - Louis Stone

---

Section D-d: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section D-e: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section E: Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | [Sample unknown] | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

---

Section F: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner - Sydney John Lipton and His Grosvenor House Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section G: [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section H: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section I1: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown]

---

Section J: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section K: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra

---

Section I2: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | The Prettiest Little Song Of All - Albert Benzler | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra

---

Section L: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Grand Fantasia - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra | In A Little Second Hand Store - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown]

M1 - Synapse retrogenesis:

Section A1:

Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Meditation From "Thais" - Jesse Crawford

---

Section B1: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown] | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

---

Section C-a: Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Ancient Court Whisperings - Albert Benzler | Lullaby Of The Leaves - George Edward Olsen Sr. and His Orchestra | Heartaches - Albert Allick Bowlly . Isador Simon Phillips and His Melodians | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section C-b: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | Gradana - Mantovani and His Orchestra

---

Section C-c: [Sample unknown] | Don't Put The Blame On Me - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Belle Of The East - Albert Benzler | [Sample unknown] | Heartaches - Gaetano Alberto Lombardo and His Royal Canadians

---

Section A2: London Town (You Haunt Me) - Stanley Augustus Holloway | Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

---

Section B2: Black And White Rag - Albert Benzler | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller

N1 - Sudden time regression into isolation

Section A1: [Sample unknown] | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway

---

Section B1: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

---

Section B2: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Winterreise No. 05: Der Lindenbaum - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra

---

Section B3: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown]

---

Section C: Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Piano Medley Of Layton & Johnstone Successes (Ramona / My Ohio Home) - John Turner Layton Jr.

---

Section A2: Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown] | Stardust - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

---

Section A3: [Sample unknown] | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | Medley: It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane - Ronnie O'Dell . Maurice Winnick and His Orchestra | Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway

---

Section B4 (Hell Sirens 4): Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Melody: Bist du denn Gottes Sohn? - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown] | Granada - Mantovani and His Orchestra

---

Section D: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | [Sample unknown]

---

Section E1 (Last Of The Bliss): Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Piano Medley Of Layton & Johnstone Successes (Ramona / My Ohio Home) - John Turner Layton Jr. | Lullaby Of The Leaves - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

---

Section E2: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

Stage 6 - Necrotonomigaud

Stage 6 is without description.

SECTIONS & SAMPLES:

O1 - A confusion so thick you forget forgetting:

Section A: The Waltz You Saved For Me - Harold Wayne King and His Orchestra | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | [Sample unknown]

---

Section B: The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton, Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra

---

Section C: Heartaches - Seger Pillot Ellis | interresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | Meditation From "Thais" - Jesse Crawford

..............

P1 - A brutal bliss beyond this empty defeat:

Section A1: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir

---

Section B-a: Memory Street - Elsa Macfarlane and Stanley Augustus Holloway | [Sample unknown]

---

Section B-b: Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | [Sample unknown] | [Sample unknown]

---

Section B-c: There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra

---

Section B-d: [Sample unknown] | Alabamy Bound - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Goodnight, My Beautiful - Russell Morgan and His Orchestra | Russian Rose - Samuel Browne . Joshua Alexander Loss and His Orchestra | Granada - Mantovani and His Orchestra

---

Section A2: Hello Tucky - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Melody: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung - Guildford Cathedral Choir | The Last Rose Of Summer - Jesse Crawford

---

Section C: Winterresie No. 06: Wasserflut - Gerhard Heinrich Wilhelm Fritz Hüsch and Hanns Udo Müller | London Town (You Haunt Me) - Stanley Augustus Holloway | Melody: The Haunted Ballroom

---

Section D: There's Too Many Eyes That Wanna Make Eyes At Two Pretty Eyes I Love - Arthur Jarrett . Wilfred Theodore Wemyes and His Orchestra

..............

Q1 - Long decline is over:

Section A-a: Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

---

Section A-b: Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

..............

R1 - Place in the World fades away

Section A-a: Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini | Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | [Sample unknown] | The Wedding Of The Painted Doll - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone | Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise - Paul Samuel Whiteman and His Orchestra

---

Section A-b: Weary River - John Turner Layton Jr. and Clarence Johnstone

---

Section B: [Sample unknown] | Il Trovatore - Ferruccio Giannini

---

Section C (Last 5 minutes): Melody: Laßt mich ihn nur noch einmal küssen - Guildford Cathedral Choir

---

Section D: [No sample]

[youzicha]

It's late at night and I'm being paranoid, but guys, I'm starting to sense a vibe-shift away from the post-1950s consensus... Consider:

¶ Some recentish papers critical of split-brain patients, Libet experiment, which were approvingly cited by the usual free will/dualism mafia on rattumb. (I also think I saw someone quote this not-at-all recent deflationary account of blindsight?)

¶ This Tuesday someone called "a literal banana" posted a blogpost Against Automaticity which starts from the heuristics-and-biases field not replicating, says that we should instead think about "rational processes", and then jumps from there to saying that we should reject "the myth of the clockwork, the myth of mechanism ... the idea that you can explain every phenomenon causally", and instead turn to "Phenomenology" (which, banana assures us, "is not a woo model").

¶ But what is a rational process? I feel since Von Neumann and RAND the usual answer has been game theory, but that's also getting less popular? When Scott Alexander posted "Meditations on Moloch", Chris Hallquist wrote a reply saying that bad Nash equilibria is an excuse and the real problem is that the individual actors are bad people. And finally, both these strands join together neatly in this @raginrayguns post

 I think the appeal of the cog sci heuristics and biases stuff, as well as the game theory stuff and “moloch”, is substantially that they provide explanations in which bad things are nobody’s fault. 

I guess it's a bit risky to predict the course of intellectual history based on who I happen to follow on tumblr, but basically I foresee a return to Catholicism: an immaterial soul which can be good or bad and needs to individually cultivate virtue...

[insert-the-4thwall-entity]

Ever since i got that dream I've been thinking of a school centered au. But now - i think i got a good idea.

I shall now present -

[ Ivy ]'s School of Mystery and Chaos

Basically, it's a crossover Au that's based of my horrendous school life, Dark academia in the sense of 'The school has a big secret kept from the students', Hunter Street in the mystery/adventure aspect, Supernaturalisms, mythological and paranormal activity and such. The basic plot is that this almost College-like school called №86 'acd. Libet D.' High, that's based/build of my school, is known for it's weird supernatural events and no one know why, but recently - things started to escalate with more events, entities and it seems that the school staff are starting to look suspicious. It's now up to our main character, that's an oc/a self-insert?, and their friends and allies to solve the weird case of the school anomalies, soon go to other realms and face the main foe.

This here is our main protagonist - [ Ivy ] [ Melense ]. She's basically me in an au, but with a privet identity and a pseudonym. Which means she's gonna experience mental dissidence similar to mine.

Also, keep in mind that this is a crossover au, which means that fandom characters are gonna show up, including BATIM -

The Henry Stein in this au is not only an ex-animator, but he now works in the school as an Art teacher. He's also one of the only school staff, who are secretly working against the rest of the staff. The [ Melense ]s and the Steins are actually freinds, so Henry and [ Ivy ] have a good friendship and teacher/mentor - student duo dynamic and are doing their best against what's happening.

Of course, I didn't forget about our old friend - The ink demon, but he's a little different than before -

This is the Bendy/Ink demon of this au. I took the concept of 'Sentient spell book' and put an inky twist on it. Before Henry became who he is now and After hearing some stuff about where J. D. studios used to be ( It didn't got bankrupt, it got moved, rebranded to ArchGates Productions and given the lead to Nathan Arch ), him and Joey ( He's still alive ) went to explore the old place, only to meat up with Ishtar - an ink demon who disguised himself as Joey's book. The "pocket" demon now lives with Henry and is now pretty much apart of the current mess.

So, that's about it for now. Hope y'all enjoy this -

[dmt-is-the-truth]

Have a look at the libet experiment...

“I wonder if killing yourself is the only thing you can control in your entire life, and that’s why it’s a sin. Because you’re beating God at his own game.”

— Gray by Pete Wentz  (via spoookyghosts)

[boy-interrupted98]

“We like to believe consciousness is the crown jewel of evolution. That self-awareness is our gift, our superpower. But what if it’s a glitch? A cruel afterthought? A side effect of brains that got too good at predicting danger?

You weren’t born conscious. You woke into it, slowly. Like surfacing in a room you didn’t ask to be in. Then you noticed the mirrors. Then you realized the mirrors were watching back.

Consciousness is the condition of knowing you’re temporary—and pretending you’re not.

Antonio Damasio, neuroscientist and author, explained that consciousness emerges from layers: the proto-self (basic regulation), the core self (awareness in the moment), and the autobiographical self (your story). But that story isn’t real. It’s retrofitted. Post-facto.

Your brain invents continuity. You didn’t live a life—you remembered it into existence.

Even your choices may be illusions. Libet’s experiments in the 1980s revealed that the brain makes decisions milliseconds before “you” become aware of them. Free will may be the narrative the brain tells to rationalize what’s already been done.

You are not the driver. You are the commentator.

And yet—we build ethics, empires, religions atop this flickering fiction. We cry when a character dies in a movie, and forget that our “self” is a character too. Worse, it knows it.

Other animals live. Humans witness.

We are ghosts who haven't died yet. Consciousness is the haunting. A flashlight in a dark hallway that can’t shut off—and shows you everything you didn’t want to see.

So we build distractions. We worship ignorance. We sedate. We scroll.

Because if you stare too long at the fact that you are watching yourself, you begin to realize:

There is no escape from the mirror. Only different rooms to reflect in.”

Floriano Melo in God-sized Pages

[factuprealme]

"Unravel the mysteries of free will and decision-making through the groundbreaking experiment of Benjamin Libet. Explore how time and unconscious brain activity shape our actions. Are we truly in control, or is it decided for us? Dive into this thought-provoking journey with FactUp." #FreeWill #Consciousness #Philosophy #Neuroscience #DecisionMaking #FactUp #MindAndBrain #BenjaminLibet #HumanMind #BrainScience

[inkognito-philosophin]

Fakten über das Gehirn – 10 Neuro-Mythen aufgeklärt

Seit vielen Jahren werden die Neurowissenschaften in der Öffentlichkeit gehypt. Überall ist es das Gehirn, das vielen Menschen als Schlüssel zum Bewusstsein gilt. Dabei gibt es gar keine einheitliche, wissenschaftliche Theorie zur Funktionsweise unseres Gehirns. Im Gegenteil: Weitverbreitete Vorstellungen entpuppen sich (wissenschaftlich betrachtet) als hartnäckige Mythen, die längst überholt sind.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Der 10%-Mythos

3-tlg. Gehirn Mythos

Gehirnhälften-Mythos

Lokalismus

Persönlichkeitstests

Neurotransmitter-Mythos

Männliches Gehirn vs. Weibliches Gehirn

Das Gehirn ist ein Computer

Das Libet-Experiment widerlegt Willensfreiheit

Das Ich als Illusion

Überschätzung der Neurowissenschaften

Die Hirnforschung ist seit mehreren Jahrzehnten Trendthema. Mittlerweile hat sie unser Menschenbild so weit geprägt, dass überall nicht mehr von einem Selbst oder Ich die Rede ist, sondern vom Gehirn. 

Überall finden sich Schlagzeilen, wie

"…Die negativen Schlagzeilen überfordern unser Gehirn" (Tagesspiegel 08.11.24),

“Emotionen: Wie das Gehirn Gefühle macht” (Spektrum, 01.0.823),

“Wie Putzen dem Gehirn guttut und sogar durch schwierige Zeiten helfen kann” (GEO, 01.09.24).

Dabei können die Neurowissenschaften bis heute vieles gar nicht erklären. Das hat mehrere Gründe. Einer der wichtigsten: die naturalistischen Vorurteile, dass die Psyche und das Verhalten des Menschen hauptsächlich oder einzig durch Biologie bestimmt seien.

Natürlich ist das Gehirn wichtig – das leugnet niemand – aber die Funktion des Gehirns wird überschätzt. Das Hirn benötigt den Körper, und der Körper ist auf die Umwelt angewiesen.

Die Behauptung „psychische Prozesse beruhen auf Gehirnprozessen" ist in dieser Kürze einfach falsch. Denn für unser Denken, Handeln und Fühlen sind noch viele andere Funktionen wie Atmung, Blutkreislauf und sogar Umweltfaktoren entscheidend.

Der 10-Prozent-Mythos:

Wir nutzen nur 10 % unseres Gehirns

Die Vorstellung, dass Menschen nur 10 % ihrer Gehirnkapazität nutzen und die restlichen 90 Prozent nicht, ist weit verbreitet. Untersuchungen zeigen, dass diese Behauptungen vor allem in populär-psychologischen Zeitschriften und Selbsthilfebüchern vertreten werden, insbesondere im Themenbereich positive Psychologie und anderen Pseudowissenschaften.

In der New-Age-Bewegung wurde diese Überzeugung so interpretiert, dass die Aktivierung der ungenutzten 90 Prozent sogar besondere psychische Fähigkeiten erweckt.

Diese Ansicht hört man auch häufiger von esoterisch interessierten Personen.

Fakten – Wie viel Gehirn nutzen wir wirklich?

Warum ist dieser Mythos heute noch aktuell? Weil er häufig wiederholt wird und sich so fest in unseren Köpfen verankert. Denn je häufiger wir eine Aussage hören oder lesen, desto glaubhafter wird sie. 

Was genau bedeutet eigentlich „Gehirnkapazität"? Der Begriff wird unscharf und sehr willkürlich genutzt. Doch je nach Autor und Fach werden damit unterschiedliche Prozesse oder Phänomene beschrieben. Darunter Gehirnvolumen, Intelligenz, Gedächtnisleistung, eine Art Leistungsfähigkeit des Gehirns.

Bildgebende Verfahren zeigen, dass alle Areale im Gehirn die ganze Zeit aktiv sind. Es gibt keine inaktiven Gehirnbereiche, außer bei massiven Hirnschädigungen.

Evolutionswissenschaftlich gesehen, hätte der Mensch diese 90 % ungenutzte Gehirnmasse abbauen müssen, da kleiner und effizienter für das Überleben. Überhaupt weiß die Medizin heute, dass Gehirnzellen, die inaktiv sind, schnell absterben. Wären 90 % ungenützt, würde sich das bei Autopsien in Form von degenerierten Gehirnbereichen deutlich zeigen. Die lassen sich aber nur bei Verstorbenen finden, die an neuronalen Erkrankungen litten.

Noch ein interessanter Fakt: Wenn eine Hirnregion tatsächlich ungenutzt bliebe, etwa weil sie nicht mehr von einem Sinnesorgan aktiviert wird, würde sie rasch neue Funktionen übernehmen. Wie zum Beispiel bei blinden Menschen, bei denen die Sehrinde häufig Tast- oder Hörsignale verarbeitet.

Der Triune-Brain-Mythos:

Menschen haben ein Reptiliengehirn

Das "Reptiliengehirn" des Menschen machte in den 1950er Jahren Furore. Die Bezeichnung stammt aus der Drei-Gehirn-Theorie von Paul MacLean. Er teilte das Organ in 3 Haupt-Bereiche: Reptiliengehirn (Basalganglien), limbisches System (Altsäugergehirn, Appetit, Leidenschaften) und Neocortex (Neusäugergehirn, rationale Kontrolle). Wissenschaftlich wurde die Theorie nicht ernst genommen.

Ein modernes Beispiel in diesem Kontext: Porges populärpsychologische Polyvagaltheorie, die ebenfalls nicht haltbar ist, doch weiterhin in Psychotherapie und Medien grassiert. Doch eigentlich ist die Idee von einem animalisch-autonomen Teil des Menschen sehr viel älter. Schon Platon (sowie viele vor und nach ihm) teilte die Seele zum Beispiel im Phaidros in einen intellektuellen und einen tierischen Teil. 

Fakten über das menschliche Gehirn

Der Begriff „reptilienartig“ weckt völlig falsche Vorstellungen, da der Mensch keine gemeinsamen Vorfahren mit Reptilien hat. 

Und bei der menschlichen Evolution ist nicht einfach der Neokortex “gewachsen”, vielmehr hat sich die gesamte Architektur des Gehirns verfeinert. Das sind hochkomplexe Systeme, die sich nicht in “primitive” oder “höher entwickelte” Strukturen aufspalten lassen.

Das menschliche Gehirn ist ein hoch entwickeltes Organ, das aus mehreren miteinander vernetzten und interagierenden Regionen besteht. Das sind aber keine getrennten Areale, sondern ein ineinander verschachteltes System, in dem Emotionen, Kognition und Verhalten miteinander verwoben sind.

Neuere Forschungen zeigen, dass Emotionen und soziale Interaktionen eine Unzahl neuronaler Prozesse umfassen, die in verschiedenen Hirnregionen stattfinden, einschließlich des limbischen Systems und der kortikalen Strukturen. Trotzdem werden bestimmte Gehirnaktivitäten, die mit Überlebensinstinkten assoziiert sind, dem Reptiliengehirn zugeschrieben. Diese Aktivitäten sind jedoch eigtl. Teil neuronaler Dynamiken, die viele andere Funktionen integrieren, wie Lernen, Gedächtnis und Entscheidungsfindung.

So legen moderne Studien nahe, dass das menschliche Gehirn als integriertes Ganzes zusammen mit dem Körper funktioniert.

Der Hirnhälften-Mythos :

Die rechte Gehirnhälfte ist kreativ, die linke logisch

Die Vorstellung von den 2 Gehirnhälften stammt ebenfalls aus den 1950er Jahren. Damals entdeckten Sperry und Gazzaniga, dass das Durchtrennen des Corpus epileptische Anfälle beseitigte. Sie untersuchten außerdem, wie die Kommunikation zwischen den Gehirnhälften nach der Callosotomie gestört war, was zur Entdeckung der „Konfabulation“ führte—einem Phänomen, bei dem das Gehirn Geschichten aus unvollständigen Informationen zu generieren scheint. 

Diese Erkenntnis ist mittlerweile wichtig für das Verständnis von Erkrankungen wie Alzheimer. Heute verstehen wir, dass Informationen, die wir über unsere Sinne aufnehmen — wie Sehen, Hören oder Fühlen — nicht nur von einer der beiden Hirnhälften verarbeitet werden. Stattdessen gelangen diese Informationen in beide Gehirnhälften.

Fakten zum Hemisphären-Modell

In den Wissenschaften hat dieses Konzept nie Anklang gefunden. Warum es trotzdem in den Köpfen der Menschen hängen blieb?

Weil die Idee ein Phänomen einfach erklärt bzw. ein Vorurteil stützt: Die eine Seite sei emotional und kreativ, während die andere rational und logisch ist.

Selbstverständlich werden Unterschiede festgestellt, wenn man das Gehirn eines Künstlers mit dem eines Wissenschaftlers vergleicht. Und auch, wenn man Musiker vergleicht, die jeweils ein anderes Instrument spielen. Doch das sagt nichts aus.

Es gibt keine Gehirnhälfte oder -Areale, die nur für bestimmte Aufgaben zuständig sind – alles ist vernetzt. Linkshänder sind also nicht per se kreativer als Rechtshänder.

Das große Missverständnis liegt bereits in der Grundlage: Wenn man nach Unterschieden sucht, werden diese auch gefunden. Kognitive Verzerrungen, wie Motivated Reasoning (Motivated Cognition, „motiviertes Denken“) oder der Bestätigungsfehler, kommen hier zum Tragen.

Der Struktur-Funktions-Mythos :

Bestimmte Gehirnareale sind für bestimmte Aufgaben zuständig

Diese Theorie nennt sich Lokalismus und ist in Psychologie und Psychiatrie weit verbreitet. Verständlich, denn auch dieses Konzept passt zu unserer Alltagsvorstellung: Der Magen verdaut, die Lunge atmet und das Gehirn steuert. 

Diese Theorie hat ihren Ursprung in der Phrenologie, einer pseudowissenschaftlichen Lehre, die im 19. Jahrhundert populär war. Die Annahme: Form und Struktur des Schädels geben Aufschluss über Persönlichkeit und Verhalten eines Menschen. Phrenologen glaubten, dass bestimmte Bereiche des Schädels mit spezifischen Charaktereigenschaften und Fähigkeiten verknüpft sind und untersuchten diese, indem sie die "Hügel" und "Gruben" auf der Kopfoberfläche ertasteten. 

Fakten über das Gehirn

Die Wissenschaft weiß heute, diese einfachen Vorstellungen sind nicht richtig. Denn die Verdauung beginnt bereits mit dem Speichel, die Atmung benötigt Mund- und Nasenraum zur Luftaufnahme, und das Gehirn agiert und reagiert zusammen mit dem gesamten Organismus.

Es ist eigentlich seit Langem bekannt, dass Struktur-Funktions-Zuordnungen unzulänglich sind. Zum Beispiel beim Sehen: Dabei sind über 30 verschiedene Hirnareale und rund 900 Verbindungswege beteiligt. Entsprechend haben Regionen wie der präfrontale Kortex viele verschiedene Aufgaben – darunter visuelle Wahrnehmung, Bewerten und Gedächtnisverarbeitung. 

Eine Ursache dieses Hirnmythos liegt in der Fehl-Interpretation von bildgebenden Verfahren: 

Im MRT sieht man keine Neuronen und auch keine elektrischen oder chemischen Signale. Man schließt vielmehr aus einem Muster, indem die Maschine Veränderungen im Blut-Sauerstoff in bestimmten Arealen misst. Daraus folgern Forscher dann, ob die Nervenzellen an gewissen Stellen aktiver sind.

Welche Bereiche farbig hervorgehoben werden, damit sie im Anschluss von Menschen interpretiert werden können, entscheidet ein Algorithmus. 

Der Persönlichkeits-Mythos 5:

Persönlichkeitstests sind aussagekräftig

Persönlichkeitstests sind beliebt – in Unternehmen und auch im Privatleben. Die Idee ist ebenfalls einfachen Vorstellungen geschuldet. Sie bieten einen scheinbar direkten Zugang zur Selbstreflexion und zur Einschätzung von Charaktereigenschaften. Im Grunde sind Persönlichkeitstests eine Art modernes Horoskop, nur eben mit weniger Sternzeichen und damit weniger Variabilität. 

Am populärsten ist der sogenannte Myers-Briggs-Persönlichkeitstest im Internet. Allerdings beruht dieser Test nicht auf fundierter wissenschaftlicher Psychologie, sondern auf Theorien von C. G. Jung. In seinen Konzepten flossen zudem auch Elemente der damaligen Astrologie und Alchemie mit ein.

In wissenschaftlichen Bereichen wird gerne der Big Five Persönlichkeitstest genutzt, weil man ihn für fundiert und empirisch belegt hält.

Fakten – methodische Fehler & Kontext

Die Bezeichnung “Test” suggeriert Wissenschaftlichkeit, doch der Myers-Briggs-Test ist definitionsgemäß kein Test. 

Erster Grund: Personen müssen über einen längeren Zeitraum mehrmals getestet werden, wenn man relativ zuverlässige Ergebnisse erzielen möchte. Ein mehrmaliger Persönlichkeitstest mit zeitlichen Abständen wird aber nicht gemacht.

Zweiter Grund: Verschiedene Personen müssten den Test auswerten. Nicht ein und dieselben Recruiter oder eine Privatperson selbst.

Auch das Big-Five-Modell ist nicht interdisziplinär anerkannt. Es hat Logikfehler und sein Konzept kann höchstens Teilaspekte der Persönlichkeit betrachten. Es ignoriert die Relevanz von individuellen Erfahrungen und beurteilt vermeintliche Eigenschaften positiv oder negativ.

Die Leistungsfähigkeit und Merkmale einer Person werden nicht nur durch ihren Charakter geprägt, sondern sind auch von den konkreten Lebensverhältnissen bzw. Umständen beeinflusst. 

Nehmen wir zum Beispiel eine junge Frau mit Eheproblemen. Die kann noch so gelassen sein und tolle Abschlüsse vorweisen, doch ihre stressigen Lebensumstände werden sich höchstwahrscheinlich negativ auf ihre Stimmungen, Empathiefähigkeit und Leistungen auswirken. Sowohl im beruflichen als auch im privaten Bereich.

Der Hormon-Mythos:

Serotonin macht glücklich, Dopamin berauscht

Sind wir von Hormonen gesteuert? Neurotransmitter spielen eine entscheidende Rolle im Organismus und sie beeinflussen unsere Stimmung, unser Verhalten und unsere Wahrnehmungen. Allgemein wird dabei Serotonin mit Glück, Dopamin mit Lust und Oxytocin mit Zuneigung assoziiert. Das erweckt den Eindruck, allein die Menge dieser Neurotransmitter in unserem Gehirn bestimme, wie wir uns fühlen und verhalten.

Ein typisches Beispiel: die Serotonin-Hypothese bei Depressionen. Antidepressiva sind oft Serotonin-Wiederaufnahmehemmer, sie erhöhen also die Serotonin-Konzentration im synaptischen Spalt.

Ähnliches gilt für Dopamin. Die meisten von uns wissen mittlerweile, es wird beim Essen von Schokolade oder anderen Genüssen ausgeschüttet und hat etwas mit dem Belohnungsempfinden zu tun.

Fakten zu Neurotransmittern

Tatsache ist, dass wir nach wie vor nur ein extrem begrenztes Wissen über die genaue Chemie im Gehirn besitzen. Es bestehen keinerlei Indikatoren, die uns zeigen könnten, wie ein „ideales“ chemisches Gleichgewicht aussieht oder wie viel von einem bestimmten Neurotransmitter tatsächlich im Gehirn vorhanden sein muss.

Bzgl. ADs: die Wirkung von Serotonin auf das Wohlbefinden ist nicht so geradlinig, wie oft vermittelt wird. ADs beeinflussen auch andere Körperfunktionen, wie die Regulierung des Körpergewichts oder die Libido. Und es gibt viele Patienten, bei denen Serotonin-Pusher alles nur noch schlimmer machen oder überhaupt nichts bewirken.

Dopamin allein ist nicht für das Gefühl der Lust verantwortlich. Studien zeigen, dass auch andere Botenstoffe, wie Serotonin, Endorphine und Oxytocin, eine entscheidende Rolle einnehmen. Zudem ist in vielen Fällen die Erwartung einer Belohnung oder eines Genusses bedeutender als das Ereignis mitsamt Hormon-Ausschüttung selbst. 

Nicht zu vergessen: Korrelationen sind keine Kausalitäten. Nur weil sich eine bestimmte Hormon-Konzentration in bestimmten Gefühlslagen zeigt, ist das kein Ursache-Wirkungs-Zusammenhang.

Der Mythos vom weiblichen und männlichen Gehirn:

Gehirne von Mann & Frau unterscheiden sich

Dass Frauen besonders einfühlsam in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und stark in Sprachen sind, während Männer hauptsächlich im analytischen und mathematischen Denken brillieren, ist ein bekannter Glaubenssatz. Diese Sichtweise ist jedoch mehr Vorurteilen geschuldet als wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen.

Zwar zeigen IQ-Tests, dass Männer oft in Mathe und Frauen in Sprachaufgaben besser abschneiden, aber diese Unterschiede spiegeln lediglich die Normen wider, die wir internalisiert haben – wie eine selbsterfüllende Prophezeiung.

Das wissen jedoch die wenigsten. Kein Wunder, in den Medien sind Unterschiede zwischen den Geschlechtern immer wieder Thema, beruhen allerdings auf Missdeutungen.

Fakten – keine biologischen Gehirnunterschiede

Es gibt keine eindeutigen biologischen Unterschiede zwischen Männer- und Frauengehirnen, da beide Geschlechter unterschiedlichen Lernumwelten ausgesetzt sind.

Bei Erwachsenen ist es oft schwierig festzustellen, ob festgestellte neuronale Unterschiede genetisch bedingt oder durch Umwelteinflüsse geprägt sind. Das Ergebnis ist wohl ein komplexes Zusammenspiel aus beiden Faktoren.

Unterschiede zwischen Probandengruppen werden mit höherer Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht als Studien ohne signifikante Befunde. Dieses Phänomen, bekannt als Publikationsbias, kann die Wahrnehmung von Geschlechterunterschieden verzerren. Insbesondere in der Geschlechterforschung ist dieser Publikationsbias besonders ausgeprägt, Ergebnisse werden übertrieben dargestellt.

Der Computer-Gehirn-Mythos: 

Das Gehirn ist wie eine Festplatte

Die Vorstellung, das Gehirn funktioniere wie ein Computer, ist ein weit verbreitetes Missverständnis. Entsprechend wäre das Gehirn die agierende Rechen- und Steuereinheit, welche Eingaben mithilfe eines Speichers in Ausgaben umwandelt. 

Diese Idee wird zum Beispiel durch KI-Technologien gestützt. Ein anschauliches Beispiel sind künstliche neuronale Netze: Die Knotenpunkte dieser Netze haben ähnlich wie Nervenzellen mehrere Eingänge, die ihre Aktivierung beeinflussen können. Durch die Bewertung der Verbindungen zwischen den Knoten können Lernprozesse nachvollzogen werden.

Vgl. Entmenschlichte Menschenbilder – Grenzen der Naturwissenschaft

Fakten – Ein Organ ist keine Maschine

Auch wenn Gehirn und Computer oberflächlich betrachtet ähnlich wirken, bestehen tiefgreifende Unterschiede. 

Zum Beispiel das Verständnis von Bedeutung: Computer verarbeiten quantitative Daten, sie verstehen nicht. 

Während ein Computer Informationen ohne Kontext speichert (außer wir geben diesen explizit an) integriert unser Geist jeden neuen Lerninhalt in ein komplexes Geflecht aus Erfahrungen.

Das Gehirn speichert nicht einfach Daten, sondern verknüpft Wissen und Bedeutung mit einer Vielzahl von Assoziationen, Körperempfindungen und Gefühlszuständen.

Überdies hat das menschliche Gehirn die beeindruckende Fähigkeit, seine Kapazität zu erweitern und nach Bedarf ganz neue Verbindungen zwischen den Neuronen zu bilden. Es ist ein dynamisches und lebendiges System, das sich ständig weiterentwickelt.

Trotz aller technologischen Fortschritte wissen wir kaum etwas Gesichertes über die Funktionsweise des Gehirns. Computer und Programme sind zwar komplex, doch grundsätzlich sind ihre Funktionen glasklar an den Aufbau gekoppelt – ihr Bauplan ist uns bekannt. 

Mythos vom determinierten Willen

Die Willensfreiheit ist eine Illusion

Hier geht es eigentlich um Determinismus, also die Vorstellung, dass zukünftige Ereignisse bereits durch gegenwärtige Bedingungen festgelegt sind. Und in der Philosophie diskutiert man seit Jahrhunderten, ob Denken und Handel durch Naturgesetze oder höhere Mächte bestimmt sind. 

Spezielle die Frage nach dem freien Willen bzw. wie sehr unser Unterbewusstsein unsere Entscheidungen beeinflusst, ist hoch interessant. Dass die Willensfreiheit widerlegt sei, wird oft mit dem Libet-Experiment begründet: 

In seinem Experiment 1983 entdeckte Libet, dass er bereits ein elektrisches Signal im Gehirn beobachten konnte, bevor die Teilnehmer überhaupt den Wunsch verspürten, sich zu bewegen etc. – das sogenannte Bereitschaftspotential. Ein ähnliches Experiment von 2008 führte sogar zum Ergebnis, dass die Entscheidung im Gehirn bis zu 10 Sekunden früher, also bevor sie ins Bewusstsein gelangte, fiel. 

Fakten zum Libet-Experiment

In der Diskussion wurde oft übersehen, dass Libet selbst und viele andere Forscher diese Interpretation nicht unterstützten. Und Libet untersuchte auch nicht die Willensfreiheit, sondern das Zeitfenster zwischen dem Bewusstseinserlebnis und motorischer Aktivierung.

Übrigens: Libet stellt fest, dass ein Bereitschaftssignal auch dann auftrat, wenn sich die Probanden gegen eine Bewegung entschieden. D. h. damit lässt sich nicht das Verhalten vorhersagen. 

Viele ähnliche Studien ignorieren, dass Menschen ihre Handlungen im Voraus planen oder diese auch mittendrin abbrechen können, eben je nach Situation und Umwelt – beides wurde in den Experimenten jedoch ausgeschlossen. Im Gegenteil, es gab keinerlei äußere Reize: Die Teilnehmer lauerten auf einen Drang, sich zu bewegen, weil konkrete Verhaltensregeln aufgestellt wurden, die so im Alltag gar nicht gelten. Das macht weder eine unbewusste noch eine freie Entscheidung möglich.

Vgl auch Geist und Gehirn, Mensch & Person – Ich ist nicht Gehirn

Mythos: Ich als Illusion

Es gibt kein Ich, nur das Gehirn

In den Neurowissenschaften wurde lange nach dem Ort gesucht, an dem sich unser Ich aufhält. Je nach Forscher gab es verschiedene Vorschläge, zum Beispiel der Präfrontalkortex oder das mediale Frontalhirn.

Es fanden sich jedoch auch viele Stimmen, die das Ich zur Illusion erklärten. Die Begründung: es gibt keine zentrale Region im Gehirn, von der alle anderen abhängen. 

Das erinnert nicht von ungefähr an den Homunkulus-Mythos aus dem 17. Jh. Denn auch hier wird eine Instanz vorausgesetzt, die im Gehirn als Zentraleinheit wahrnimmt, denkt und steuert.

Fakten zum Ich-Empfinden

In der Neurowissenschaft zeigen zahlreiche Studien, dass das Gefühl eines „Ichs“ aus einem komplexen Zusammenspiel vieler Gehirnareale resultiert, die miteinander kommunizieren und interagieren. 

Es existiert keine spezifische Region, die alle anderen kontrolliert oder die für unser Bewusstsein verantwortlich ist; vielmehr funktioniert das Gehirn als Netzwerk.

Tatsache ist, dass unser Selbstgefühl und unsere Identität aus einer dynamischen und fluiden Verbindung von Erfahrungen, Emotionen und kognitiven Prozessen hervorgehen, welche weit über die biologischen Gehirnfunktionen hinausgehen.

Fazit: Fakten über das Gehirn

Die Idee, den Menschen und all seine intellektuellen sowie kulturellen Leistungen lediglich auf sein Gehirn zu reduzieren, ist sehr abgehoben. In diesem vereinfachten Konzept wird der Mensch als Subjekt und Person in seiner komplexen Vielschichtigkeit nicht mehr wahrgenommen. 

Allerdings ist es immer die ganze Person, die Erfahrungen macht, nachdenkt, Entscheidungen trifft, fühlt oder Erinnerungen besitzt.

Quellen: 1) Wiwo: Diese Mythen ranken sich um unser Hirn 2) Kompetenzzentren für Nervensystem, Gehirn sowie seelisch-psychische Krankheiten 3) Wikipedia: Zehn-Prozent-Mythos 4) Wikipedia: Himisphärenmodell 5) Deutschlandfunk Nova: Hirntypen sind ein Mythos 6) Theodor Schaarschmidt: Gibt es Geschlechterunterschiede im Gehirn? (Spektrum der Wissenschaften) 7) Anna von Hopffgarten: 5 Irrtümer über unser Gehirn (Houman Resources) 8) Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Das Gehirn von Frauen und Männern 9) Stephan Schleim: Mythen der Hirnforschung – Was stimmt wirklich?

[madblackdiaries]

"The Space Between Thought and Action"

The concept of free will? It’s more than just the power to act without necessity or fate—it’s the difference between living and merely existing.

I despise the notion of destiny; it feels so… uninspired. Who enjoys hearing spoilers in a movie anyway? Do you believe every move we make is already scripted, with no space between thought and reaction?

Some cultures cling to the idea of destiny like a security blanket, making them feel special or chosen. But which is more compelling: being predestined, or earning your place through conscious effort and decision-making?

Free will is a hotly debated topic, especially among quantum scholars who argue life’s meaningless and we lack control over anything. A bleak outlook, to say the least.

But hold on—let’s flip the coin. Neuroscientist Benjamin Libet shook things up with experiments suggesting brain activity precedes our conscious intention to act. This challenges the traditional view of decision-making, hinting at deeper complexities behind our choices.

Think of your brain as a boardroom: the DLPFC as CEO, weighing options strategically; the ACC as referee, resolving conflicts between choices; and the basal ganglia as party planners, assessing risks and rewards.

Yet, recent neuroimaging studies reveal these brain regions collaborating seamlessly to shape real-time decisions. Despite external influences nudging our decisions, we retain autonomy.

In conclusion, there’s a vast difference between cognitive nudges and a predetermined fate devoid of the space between thought and action. We all have the capacity to make our decisions count. There’s always room between thought and action.

• Black

[globule-noir]

Everywhere at the end of time' was a series exploring dementia, its advancement and its totality.

STAGE 1 :

00:00:00 Here we experience the first signs of memory loss. This stage is most like a beautiful daydream. The glory of old age and recollection. The last of the great days.

00:00:00 - A1 - It's just a burning memory

00:03:32 - A2 - We don't have many days

00:07:02 - A3 - Late afternoon drifting

00:10:38 - A4 - Childishly fresh eyes

00:13:36 - A5 - Slightly bewildered

00:15:38 - A6 - Things that are beautiful and transient

00:20:12 - B1 - All that follows is true

00:23:44 - B2 - An autumnal equinox

00:26:31 - B3 - Quiet internal rebellions

00:30:02 - B4 - The loves of my entire life

00:34:06 - B5 - Into each others eyes

00:38:42 - B6 - My heart will stop in joy

STAGE 2 :

00:41:22 The second stage is the self realisation and awareness that something is wrong with a refusal to accept that. More effort is made to remember so memories can be more long form with a little more deterioration in quality. The overall personal mood is generally lower than the first stage and at a point before confusion starts setting in.

00:41:22 - C1 - A losing battle is raging

00:46:01 - C2 - Misplaced in time

00:50:44 - C3 - What does it matter how my heart breaks

00:53:22 - C4 - Glimpses of hope in trying times

00:58:06 - C5 - Surrendering to despair

01:03:09 - D1 - I still feel as though I am me

01:07:17 - D2 - Quiet dusk coming early

01:10:54 - D3 - Last moments of pure recall

01:14:47 - D4 - Denial unravelling

01:19:02 - D5 - The way ahead feels lonely

STAGE 3 :

01:23:17 Here we are presented with some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists form and fade away. Finest moments have been remembered, the musical flow in places is more confused and tangled. As we progress some singular memories become more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. These are the last embers of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages.

01:23:17 - E1 - Back there Benjamin

01:27:33 - E2 - And heart breaks

01:31:38 - E3 - Hidden sea buried deep

01:32:59 - E4 - Libet's all joyful camaraderie

01:36:12 - E5 - To the minimal great hidden

01:37:53 - E6 - Sublime beyond loss

01:40:03 - E7 - Bewildered in other eyes

01:41:55 - E8 - Long term dusk glimpses

01:45:29 - F1 - Gradations of arms length

01:47:00 - F2 - Drifting time misplaced

01:51:16 - F3 - Internal bewildered World

01:54:45 - F4 - Burning despair does ache

01:57:22 - F5 - Aching cavern without lucidity

01:58:41 - F6 - An empty bliss beyond this World

02:02:19 - F7 - Libet delay

02:06:15 - F8 - Mournful cameraderie

STAGE 4 :

02:08:53 Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture.

02:08:53 - G1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

02:31:02 - H1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

02:52:55 - I1 - Stage 4 Temporary Bliss State

03:13:58 - J1 - Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions

STAGE 5 :

03:36:12 Post-Awareness Stage 5 confusions and horror. More extreme entanglements, repetition and rupture can give way to calmer moments. The unfamiliar may sound and feel familiar. Time is often spent only in the moment leading to isolation.

03:36:12 - K1 - Stage 5 Advanced plaque entanglements

03:58:49 - L1 - Stage 5 Advanced plaque entanglements

04:21:37 - M1 - Stage 5 Synapse retrogenesis

04:42:25 - N1 - Stage 5 Sudden time regression into isolation

STAGE 6 :

05:04:32 Post-Awareness Stage 6 is without description.

05:04:32 - O1 - Stage 6 A confusion so thick you forget forgetting

05:26:25 - P1 - Stage 6 A brutal bliss beyond this empty defeat

05:48:02 - Q1 - Stage 6 Long decline is over

06:09:12 - R1 - Stage 6 Place in the World fades away

[simeleons]

I checked out the album and had the most visceral experience upon recognizing the first song and connecting memories with it but not remembering exactly which memories or when I have heard it before. Amazing recommendation!

right??? a lot of people said they felt this way about the album. it definitely does a great job at playing with the listener's sense of memory and train of thought. the artist is very talented. im glad you enjoyed it!!!! ^3^ <3

[localkatze]

Recently I've been getting into EATEOT and fan projects related to it so while I'm listening to the with voices version I'll say some theories about the album.

(Sorry for my bad grammar and writing beforehand)

Many people say that the dementia experience begins at An empty bliss beyond this world but it might start in Persistent repetition of phrases being in stage 3-4. Coming back to AEBBTW it's an epilog of what's to come. One note that I found of interest is that in Libet's delay it sounds like a piano rehearsal due to the stops at a specific parts then repeating.

Jumping a bit far ahead to the end of the album there's Everywhere, an empty bliss I don't believe it's from the perspective of The caretaker, a dumb idea I have is that it's from the perspective of friends and family, maybe telling or sharing stories about The caretaker as for the static it may be to holes in their memories or just remembering something wrong. Same thing goes for Patience and Extra patience.

As for the big boy itself there's only so much to speculate due to the music and names mostly just describing The caretaker's mental state. But and it's a BIG but I theorized that the hell sirens on stage 4 may not be from a war but rather an EAS alert maybe from a flood or blizard (since Leyland Kirby is British)

Well thanks for reading my dumb theories enjoy the rest of your day (≡^∇^≡)

[saginthesun]

What is Consciousness?

Consciousness is an important part of human life. It is the feeling of aliveness and the basis of all that we do. Experience is found in unexpected places, large and small, and perhaps even in brute matter itself. Yet, consciousness has been the subject of much debate, especially in Western philosophy since the time of Descartes and Locke.

Consciousness is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has fueled millennia of debates and analysis by philosophers, theologians, linguists, and scientists. However, the question of what consciousness is remains elusive and confusing.

One is in terms of a conscious creature; another is in terms of the properties or aspects of a conscious mental state. A third is in terms of the experience or character of a conscious mental state, which involves various sensory qualia such as taste and color qualia (Crane 2000).

These options may be combined with other varieties of consciousness such as access consciousness, phenomenal consciousness, reflexive or meta-mental consciousness, narrative consciousness, or any combination of them. Some of these varieties are more strongly identified with physical states than others.

Consciousness is the perception of sensations, emotions and thoughts. It is the tune stuck in your head, the sweet taste of chocolate mousse, the throbbing pain of a toothache and the fierce love for your child. Many metaphysical theories offer a variety of answers to the question of how consciousness comes into being and what it is. Among the standard options are physicalism, substance dualism and eliminative materialism.

The various concepts of consciousness may in fact pick out varying aspects of a single unified underlying mental phenomenon that is not a matter of strict type-type property identity and does not depend on a physical substrate (Wilkes 1984). It also appears to be the case that it does not require an actual self to exist at all, but rather the sort or degree of perspectival self-organization that one would expect from any conscious organism.

Consciousness is the mental state that accompanies and distinguishes a thinking substance from other thinking substances. In Locke's account personal identity consists in this alone; and so far as it can be extended backwards to any past action or thought, so far it reaches the identity of the person; and that same consciousness now reflects on that same self, and is that same identity now; and no more than that can it reach any further.

The type-type identity theory has enjoyed a modest revival (Libet 1985, Papineau 1995) in the face of what some have called the "explanatory gap" problem. That is, if one conscious qualitative property and a neural property are identical, why not treat the neurophysiological link as an identity?

The what, the how, and the why of consciousness are some of the more pressing questions in the realm of cognitive science. Among the most intriguing are whether it has any real causal impact on systems whose operations it affects and how one might account for the presence of a conscious self within those same systems.

Aside from the above issues, there is no question that consciousness has some enticing properties. For starters, it is a well-developed system able to integrate and make sense of information from across the physical world with remarkable efficiency.

Despite this, it is not as easy as some might suggest to explain how such an impressive entity as consciousness comes into being. Several competing theories have tried to address the nebulous subject. Some of them are based on strict type-type identities (Chalmers 1996); others are more about psycho-physical relations (Dennett 1991, 1992). The best explanations of all may turn out to be the ones that arouse the most curiosity and lead to the most interesting findings.

[philippequeau]

Free Will, the Self and Quantum Theory

Free Will, the Self and Quantum Theory

“Benjamin Libet” In the 1970s, the neurologist Benjamin Libet sought to determine the precise timing between conscious awareness of a voluntary decision and electrical activity in the brain.iCommon sense normally expects that the awareness of a decision to act precedes the neural activity allowing the action itself. The very surprising result of Libet’s experiments is that it seems to be the…