Originally Posted by
Oneironaut
My point is: is it not possible to describe everything a human does, in such an "instinctual" manner? I mean, we can assign evolutionary meaning to almost anything an animal does, even if we don't know why they're actually doing it. Contrarily, we can can attribute anything a human does to "free will." A mature human is miles more complex than most animals (mostly due to life experiences), so it is convenient to attribute some actions to "choice." But is that "choice" a product of free will? Or is the choice made simply a conditioned response?
Without a definite answer to that question, how can we see ourselves as any different from other animals? As was said, there's really no way to draw that line. Whether we want to believe it or not, we are all products of our environments - man and animal, alike.
Another quote from the Matrix: Reloaded (seems like I've been using them a lot, lately. They are just so damn relevant, though. Haha)
Oracle: "Candy?"
Neo: "Do you already know if I'm going to take it?"
Oracle: "Wouldn't be much of an Oracle, if I didn't."
Neo: "But if you already know, how can I make a choice?"
Oracle: "Because you didn't come here to make the choice, you've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it. (Neo takes candy) I thought you'd have figured that out by now."
Are the choices we make nothing but ourselves analyzing our own instinctual responses? Can we ever actually do the OPPOSITE of what we "choose" to do? (Ooh. I just blew my own mind. Lol.)
I understand the example, but it's more rhetoric than anything else. Such a scenario would never happen, so it can't be used as a model for reality.