My mindbrain is rooted in various patterns of enculturation. It evolved to meet the needs of the foraging ancestors for many millions of years, and during the 70 years since I was conceived. (nature and nurture).
The mindbrain is like an iceberg with a small self-conscious bit sticking above the surface and a huge unconscious bit lying under the surface. The self-conscious bit (I. me, my, ego) is associated with the executive functions of the pre-frontal cortex and may be unique to human beings. If the pre-frontal cortex was a sports car few people every get it out of first gear but, by taking thought, the midbrain can be made to operate in effortless and non-egoic flow.
It is said that nothing comes from nothing and that all effects have causes. So what are the causes that drive my self-conscious and what are the causes that drive it, and the causes that drive it etc What was the uncaused cause?
The ancient myths reckoned that the prime mover was a superhuman God but there was no evidence in support of that idea. The contemporary myth reckons that everything began with the Big Bang and there is evidence in support of the cosmic, biological and cultural phases of evolution.
Is free will possible? Logic dictates that there must be a first uncaused cause.
V.S.Ramachandran reckons that Sam Harris demonstrates—with great intellectual ferocity and panache—that free will is an inherently flawed and incoherent concept, even in subjective terms. If he is right, the book will radically change the way we view ourselves as human beings.
