Does the free will exist? No present research provides any evidence for or against. The idea that the free will does not exist is based on a lack of understanding how complex dynamical systems like the brain work.
Who’s a believer? I am!
Do neurons contain thoughts? Great minds explain how the brain works. I do not entirely understand their explanations, but I believe them. There are things every scientist believes, and that is of value. But there is also a danger in believing, in science as in spiritual affairs.
Errors and disasters: the perfect storm
Errors and disasters do not come about by one causal factor. There is always a chain of unpredictable events. This also poses a problem for scientists. They do not know the law of conservation of misery.
Letters and messages, neurons and thoughts
Is a thought simply the sum total of the activity of all the neurons in the brain? No, just as a message is not simply the placement of a sequence of letters which follow the rules of grammar. How do those letters stand in relation to that message? How does the activity of neurons stand in relation to a thought? Was Descartes right, or are we our brain?
Who directs the brain?
Our brain controls everything we do and think and what happens in our body. Who directs these complicated brains? “I” do? No, there is no central power or police force, no editor, prime minister or CEO, no leader. The brain controls all without a director.
Oxytocin, the love hormone and Lego Technic
Oxytocin in the media: the cuddle hormone or love hormone. But how can a hormone bring about cuddling, induce love, happiness or maternal attachment and social interactions? And does it really do all that?
What causes depression: serotonin or your experiences?
What causes your depression: serotonin or what you experience? The answer: the question is invalid! Both play a role, and are interconnected. You cannot say that one of these is the cause.
Recognising faces
You walk down a street and nearly bump into someone; you look at their face and in a fraction of a second you know who it is. It does not really matter if you see them in profile or full face. And one can do this with thousands of faces; a clever trick of our brains. How do we recognise faces?