1. If you believe in free will, you believe in magic — if there is such a thing as free will, you are (somehow) responsible for your own traits and values
2. Yeah, right…
   
   
3. If free will is real, you and I are simply “magical” — we are somehow above the laws of cause and effect
4. We are like little Gods — perhaps, we are parts of God
5. If we have free will, that’s what we are
   
   
6. The thing is — I can prove that there is no such thing as free will and that no one is actually responsible for anything!
7. In order to believe in free will,we have to assume that we determined our own traits and values before we had any traits and values…
8. But how can we be responsible, before we even existed, for any of what we became?
9. But then, I believe in free will anyway…
10. Most likely, you do also
11. Something must be wrong
12. We must be missing something…
    
    
13. Scientifically speaking, what we call “ethics” is simply the result of natural selection — our ethical standards promote survival of the species
14. And really, if you believe in consciousness, you believe in magic — consciousness is our prototype of non-physical, and science has NO explanation for anything non-physical
15. And, most well-educated persons do believe in free will and ethics
16. And all well-educated persons believe in consciousness…
    
    
17. And also, my own consciousness, and it’s thoughts, are the only ‘things’ that I know, for sure, do actually exist…
18. I can’t be sure about your consciousness — or anything else, for that matter
19. But as magical as I sound, I do exist
20. And, if you’re reading this, you do as well
    
    
21. Then — the only thing that would really make sense would be nothing!
22. If there were nothing, now that would make all sorts of sense
23. But somehow, there is something!
24. There is me!
    
    
25. I can’t be sure that you really exist, but I can be sure that I do — at least in some form
    
26. And, what I have is a logical conundrum…
27. Either there has always been something — or, at one time there was nothing
28. The latter sure sounds magical…
29. Maybe the former makes a little sense, but not much
30. Or maybe, “always” isn’t what we think it is…
    
    
31. Unfortunately, Stephen Hawking says that before time and the Big Bang there was an “initial singularity” of infinite mass, zero volume and no cause and effect…
32. Yeah right, again…
    
    
33. But could that be God?
34. (Not according to Hawking — or Einstein — but they’re just physicists, and I’ll have to deal with them later)
    
    
35. Then there’s The Anthropic Principle (which requires either magic, or multiple universes), Quantum Entanglement (which Einstein called “spooky”…) and Quantum Mechanics in general (which includes consciousness)
    
    
36. Anyway, we should suspect that Reality is not the deterministic machine that ‘mainstream’ science would have us believe…
37. There is probably a bit of “MAGIC” in reality — especially, in us conscious beings
38. A dimension currently unrecognized by science?
    
    
39. And then — to what extent does modern science really understand reality?
40. Currently, we humans tend to think that we almost know it all — but then, we probably thought that way ever since we started thinking…
    
    
41. And then, we humans apparently have two different ways of thinking – analytic (rational) and holistic (intuitive)
42. Scientists tend to be very analytic
43. Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein didn’t believe in magic, or God
44. Maybe, magic and religion are recognized by holistic thinkers?
    
    
45. These two different ways of thinking seem to be “supervised” (sort of) by two different parts of the brain — for most of us, the left cerebral hemisphere “supervises” analytic thinking, while the right does it for holistic thinking
46. Apparently, the holistic side supervises, or even includes one’s SELF…
47. I’ll try to explain the “supervision” angle later
    
    
48. Religious thought seems to be a product of holistic thinking
49. But western education focuses on analytic thinking
50. And, the more education we westerners receive, the more analytic we become
51. And the less religious…
    
    
52. Maybe analytic thinking sees the trees, while holistic thinking sees (feels?) the forest
53. Maybe like reading the notes, versus hearing the music
54. And then, people who are “really” religious seem to be feeling something that can barely — if at all —be reasoned to… (what they call “FAITH“)
55. And given the suggested hemispheric separation, either the holistic side is ‘hallucinating’, or the analytic side is ‘color’-blind…
56. And again, logical thought is surprised that anything exists — yet, even if it’s only my own consciousness, something does exist!
57. And, what I know for sure does actually exist is non-physical
58. Sounds like magic to me
    
    
59. Anyway, I tried to take a test to see which kind of thinking I tended towards, and ended up thinking that the questions were stupid…
    
    
60. Awhile back, I had a short debate with a religious friend about the source of a belief — he thought it was the heart, but I convinced him that it was the brain
61. Recently however, I discovered that the heart has it’s own nervous system composed of about 40,000 neurons like those in the brain — and reconsidered my friends opinion
62. My religious beliefs come from my head and evidence, but my beliefs are weak and only probabilistic
63. When I listen to the right music, they become much more pronounced…
    
    
64. But what really makes me believe in magic and religion is my own SELF…
    
    
65. More to come
66. (YOUR SELF | What it’s all about (what-it-s-all-about.life))