Since the day Newton announced that matter and energy are governed by immutable physical laws, the suggestion that humans are nothing more than matter and energy has raised the question of how a 'mere machine' could possess free will or consciousness. Of course, the phrasing of 'mere machine' suggests a completely deterministic automaton, something that could not possibly be self-directing. But as our knowledge of machines increases, it becomes increasingly evident that machines can direct themselves, and these is less and less that can be explained only by appeal to some sort of mysterious consciousness (and most of what can't be explained isn't free will so much as the perception of free will). We do all of the things that we think we do: we have experiences, we make judgements, we take actions, we feel rage and love and listlessness - but all this is explained by the activities of our bodies and brains, the impact of our environment, and the tendency of natuaral systems to seek balance and equilibrium. Our consciousness is our perception of all of these activities, and more, a perception that is an emergent phenomenon of billions or microscopic events, and as a perception, is returned as input into the system, where, later, it is itself perceived as not merely reflective but also as active.
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