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Actually, no. The actual quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is: It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. And I think I agree: Choice, as I understand it, is not something we do in anticipation of action, something we may retract later...

Or as Dumbledore said to Harry, "It is not our abilities that make us who we are, but our choices."

A lot of energy has been expended on this thread disputing the dangers of fundamentalism and whether any form of dialog can effectively address that threat. There seemed also to be a strong suggestion by some participants that fundamentalism was uniformly dangerous as a source of intolerant...

First let me apologize to participants in this forum. I seem to have kicked off the thread, and then dropped out of the discussion. Fortunately it went without me very well for a while. Ruby, this is a late response, for which I am embarrassed. For many years I have been a part of the...

How do you count things like gods and spirits that you cannot see or touch or otherwise sense? Not everything is countable. If I understand quantum theory correctly, it is not possible to count the number of electrons in a particular atom at a particular time; you can only measure the average...

Back at you, juantoo3, Our conversations are becoming so complex, we may soon have to branch out into subthreads. I think that this time however I'll be able to respond in a single post. Almost anyone who lives with a dog or cat recognizes that they have emotions and plans. They act out of...

Hi, pseudonymous, It may be that the reason you have no community is similar to the reason I no longer call myself an atheist: there is no community in a negative. Atheism is the belief that there is no god, i.e., that it is not the case that there is a god. This proposition has two...

Hi, juantoo3, Sorry to have taken so long. Other things going on. Besides that our conversation has reached a point where I need to think a lot harder to make meaningful responses. The philosopher in me likes that situation; the lazybones does not. Yeah, even amoebas have to do some...

Hi, Mee, That's a provocative claim. But in view of the fact that every living thing dies, I would think it incumbent on you to provide some reasoning for your claim. Namiste.

I much prefer to read threads in threaded order rather than linear order. It puts each response in a more precise context, allowing me to follow the thread of a conversation. Unfortunately that seems impossible. After a depth of 2 or 3 in a thread, and certainly below the dreaded "More...

Hi, Juantoo3, I've been rereading, and was struck by the following remarks. Though I tend to agree, I want to play Devil's Advocate for a moment. First, the evolutionary benefits would accrue from the illusion of responsible choice. Real free will is not required. As long as people think...

Hi, Brian, I think to the contrary that death is a terminus. A person's death is the end of that person as a choosing individual, and choice is an absolutely essential aspect of a person. This seems to be a natural consequence of my position on consciousness and choice [see thread...

Hi, Chris, Thanks for the compliment. I'm pretty much in agreement with you, with a few quibbles. I'm not comfortable with the word "intention" here. It smacks too much of purpose, of Aristotle's final cause. Of course, since I believe in free will, I believe that much of what happens has...

Michelle, I don't follow this statement: Why? Just because we have the power to influence some things, doesn't mean we have influence over everything. As a matter of fact, there might be nothing over which we have total control. If each of us has free will, then we each affect the future...

Sorry juantoo3. That's a bit of logic tech-speak from long ago. The idea is that you can respond to a dilemma, i.e., an argument of the form A or B A implies C B implies D Therefore C or D in one of two ways. You can take it "by the horns" by showing that one of the...

Hi, juantoo3, You raise some interesting issues. I'll try to respond at least to those that indicate that I did not make my position clear. Consciousness is not the same as experiential learning, although it requires it. I think that even animals without consciousness have some level of...

Hi, Spiderbaby, Let me try to offer a more extensive answer than those yet posted. This is not in any way a final answer, but a beginning of a dialog. The question "How" is open to a variety of kinds of answers. I'm going to respond to the evolutionary interpretation: how do material...

Dumbledore told Harry that it is not our capabilities that make us who we are but our choices. I'm inclined to think he was right. Namiste.

Neemai, I think it is inaccurate to say that consciousness is necessary for the animation of the body. I suspect that consciousness emerged fairly high up the animate trunk of life. Consciousness is not necessary for life. Plants do quite well without it (at least in a form we probably all...

Among other things, Haisch says: But of course, that's not true!!! For each of these peculiarities there are laws of nature that specify what will happen. Haisch continues: This line of reasoning is very peculiar. In effect it claims: The laws of nature don't explain why the laws of...