tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4724592643224262209.post4736839827038746805..comments2023-05-08T02:52:16.953-07:00Comments on Cognition and Evolution: Two Questions I Was Apparently Predestined to AskMichael Catonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01017910055699348111noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4724592643224262209.post-9676560452631131832009-10-22T19:27:46.960-07:002009-10-22T19:27:46.960-07:00But if there's no free will, then the universe...But if there's no free will, then the universe and its entire history are just a frozen block of space-time. Why would this not be obvious to an observer that's part of this frozen block? Why would there be a special space passing through this block (like a plane moving through a 3-dimensional block of Flatland spacetime)?Michael Catonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01017910055699348111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4724592643224262209.post-63245247988177121002009-10-22T06:35:39.104-07:002009-10-22T06:35:39.104-07:00If there's no free will, we're just a run ...If there's no free will, we're just a run of collapsing particle dominoes. Why bother to do anything in that case? <br /><br />"Now" seems to be a given. That's just reaction to immediate stimulus. In 7th grade, we put a drop of vinegar on a slide of pond water and watched the 'wee beasties' flee.<br /><br />What's special is the ability to maintain a memory of "past" and conceive of possible "futures," and then apply that knowledge to modify reactions to "now" stimulus.dbonfittohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08787420987976232701noreply@blogger.com