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MYSTERIES OF THE MIND
Much of what we do is a snap judgment. It is a like a blink of an eye. The latest book by Malcolm Gladwell titled BLINK is about numerous quick decision and judgments that we make in daily life. One would like to think that we use reasoned judgment, however there is a quick "click-wer' mechanism that makes many of our decisions. This is the story of what Freud called and the latest neuroscientist label as the unconscious. It is a vast reservoir of thought that makes up close to 90 percent or more of our everyday decisions. It flavors our perception of reality. When you dream you can sometimes take a peak at this stream of life composed of genetic and environmental experiences. The fMRI now provides psyche maps of where our thoughts appear to dwell. Moral thoughts are in the prefrontal area. Borrowing from the deconstructionists, neuroscientist sees the deep root metaphors that attract us to moral choices, commercial choices, and mate choices. Reality is a penlight reflecting this deep hard to define area of life in the mind. The main metaphors are transformation, connection and energy. People choose Pepsi over Coke in taste tests, but when the label is shown Coke wins. Some focus groups work and others don't depending on the research protocols that most reflect reality and the core subject of the unconscious. BLINK has a number of tests that trigger the unconscious. We still make choices, but our choices are flavored by our internal conscience
and unconscious and the wider world around us. The studies discussed in this
article would support the philosophical position of soft indeterminism. That
means that you are accountable for your choices, but other factors contribute
to your choice.
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