Every person should be allowed to follow his free will in order to develop his personality.

That this free will exists at all is part of the basis of the philosophical school of thought of liberalism. Today, free will is called into question by science, and with it the whole idea of liberalism: its philosophical foundations are increasingly faltering.

The power of the subconscious

The new findings of brain research and psychology refute the idea that human beings have free will and a coherent ego. Neurologists suspect that we do not make our decisions freely, but that they are dictated by our subconscious. In other words, we do what we want, but we do not consciously choose what we want.

We are stooges of our subconscious.

Sounds weird? If one briefly considers the relapse rates of smokers and dieters, the assumption is no longer so absurd. Another argument for the power of the subconscious is that with drugs, genetic engineering and brain stimulation one can manipulate and control a person. If the latter could consciously decide against it, this would not be possible.

As early as 2002, Professor Sanjiv Talwar from the State University of New York implanted electrodes into the brains of rats with which he was able to remotely control the animals at his will. As a result, they threw themselves off a wall, for example.

Help with mental illness?

Doctors are now also researching this technology on humans. Cables are inserted into the brain through small holes. There, certain networks of nerve cells in the brain are then stimulated or inhibited. In a pilot study at the Charité, nine patients with severe depression were given tiny electrodes for simulation treatment. It is believed that electrodes in the brain can help to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

We invent a story about ourselves

With regard to the unity of our personality, psychology has come to agree that each of us has countless inner voices that alternate in our consciousness. According to this assumption, our “I” is nothing more than a story that we – more or less consciously – invent and tell in order to give meaning to ourselves, our lives and our counterparts.

Which history will people be able to tell about themselves in the future to distinguish themselves from artificial intelligence?

 

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