Think You're Operating on Free Will? Think Again

Studies have found that upon entering an office, people behave more competitively when they see a sharp leather briefcase on the desk, they talk more softly when there is a picture of a library on the wall, and they keep their desk tidier when there is a vague scent of cleaning agent in the air. But none of them are consciously aware of the influence of their environment.

There may be few things more fundamental to human identity than the belief that people are rational individuals whose behavior is determined by conscious choices. But recently psychologists have compiled an impressive body of research that shows how deeply our decisions and behavior are influenced by unconscious thought, and how greatly those thoughts are swayed by stimuli beyond our immediate comprehension.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2000994,00.html


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So is free will really just an illusion? (To most people it is.)

What does it mean to be human, to be in control of one's own mind?

What is the nature of consciousness, the mysterious property of self-awareness that we all have and yet which no scientist understands?

Is there any such thing as free will, or are our minds at the mercy of some unknown force?

These are the fundamental questions that have perplexed philosophers and, increasingly, scientists for centuries.

Until recently they seemed utterly unfathomable; after all, how do you test for something like free will in the laboratory?

But now science is coming up with some fascinating - and deeply uncomfortable - answers.

This week, for instance, Professor John-Dylan Haynes and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute in Germany report the findings of an extraordinary experiment which seems to show that "free will" - the most cherished tenet of humanity, which decrees that Man has total control of his own actions - may, in fact, be little more than an illusion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1015690/So-free-really-just-illusion.html

"If studies have shown top tennis stars like Roger Federer can perform without conscious thought, can killers like Reggie Kray be held responsible for their actions if performed unconsciously?"


And again: Derren Brown - Mind Control And Subliminal Advertising

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjueOXCy3OM