PhilGoetz comments on Remind Physicalists They're Physicalists - Less Wrong

18 Post author: lukeprog 15 August 2011 04:36AM

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Comment author: PhilGoetz 22 August 2011 01:27:31PM *  1 point [-]

Nice, modulo Christina's comment below. But, I wouldn't place any stock in time-delay button-pressing experiments. They are only suprising if you both a) believe in free will, AND b) believe that the freely-willed action, and the conscious experience of making that decision, must be simultaneous.

There is no reason to expect this, and many reasons to expect it not to be the case, even if you believe in free will. I don't know if it's even meaningful to ask "when" a perception occurred - your brain may present you with a percept, and backdate it or forward-date it.