[Science] Your Brain Knows What You're Doing Before You Do*

[Joe Spinebuster]

Maybe I'm missing something here, so apologies if I'm coming across like an idiot - I intentionally make this not my frield of expertise, because I fear that understanding the inner-workings of decision-making a bit too much would make life that little bit duller, which is a bit gay I know but sometimes ignorance is just how I roll - BUT how does establishing that the brain makes decisions a few seconds more before we actually execute them prove that "free will is an illusion"...? I admit I've only read a couple of posts in this thread, haven't clicked on any links or anything yet.

[endless psych]

Essentially its based on the premise that free will relys upon making a conscious choice. The idea that our brains make choices for us before we are aware of them lends itself to the idea that we are at their beck and call. That we are not free agents but by and large automata.

[LesMTS]

Originally Posted by Joe Spinebuster

Maybe I'm missing something here, so apologies if I'm coming across like an idiot - I intentionally make this not my frield of expertise, because I fear that understanding the inner-workings of decision-making a bit too much would make life that little bit duller, which is a bit gay I know but sometimes ignorance is just how I roll - BUT how does establishing that the brain makes decisions a few seconds more before we actually execute them prove that "free will is an illusion"...? I admit I've only read a couple of posts in this thread, haven't clicked on any links or anything yet.

It doesn't prove it at all. It's just one possible conclusion we could extrapolate from this research.
The crucial part is not that the brain is making decisions a few seconds before we execute them, it's that the brain is making decisions a few seconds before we are consciously aware that we are even going to think about executing them.
Most people would imagine the process goes something like - you consciously decide to act -> the conscious part of your brain tells the rest of your brain what to do -> you carry out the action
This suggests it's more like - an unconscious part of your mind (kinda, for the sake of analogy, like the part of your mind that deals with your breathing) makes the decision to act -> IT executes it -> it enters your consciousness as an afterthought, with the illusion that your conscious mind was responsible

[Joe Spinebuster]

I think I was just not "getting this" because I already thought of things working like that anyway, and assumed that everyone did. Either that or my brain is BLOCKING ME from fully understanding the truth because it wants me to stay its slave forever~!!!!