Hey Jean-Pierre! Well. There are only two words to describe my reaction to Sam Harris: mind fuck!!! The guy just confuses me... I couldn't keep his thread of thought.
That being said, I found another video where someone explained free will (or lack there-of) much better.
My understanding of the concept is that our brain is programmed by the outside world. The brain can then only operate a certain combination of 'choices' and results based on what has been programmed into it in the first place. So if I have only experienced the colour black and the colour white, I can only experience a life of black, white or different shades of grey.
If we had free will, I would be able to choose something beyond my programming. Like choosing the colour yellow. But this, they say is not possible. And therefore, I do not have free will. I get this. At a neurological level it makes sense.
But how does this free will thing operate beyond the physical brain? What of consciousness? We don't even know what consciousness is, so how do we know if it has free will or not? Once we move into the atoms that make our brain, we are into the world of energy, our brains are made of this energy. Where does programming fit in here? Where does free will come in now?
I wonder if because they cannot prove that free will does exist, they decide that it does not exist?
In terms of law of attraction... it says that 'like attracts like'. If there is 'no free will' then if your brain is only programmed to see the colour black, then you will only attract the colour black. You simply cannot access red, blue, yellow and so on.
However, I think that the principle of 'no free will' says that you continue to get new programming . So for example, one day you will see the colour yellow. And now, you will be able to attract the colour yellow.
What I don't understand then, is who/ what decides that I get to experience the colour yellow in the first place?
Well... now that I've thoroughly screwed with my own head, I think it's time to sleep!!! You know, I'm really not sure of the no free will thing. I have quite a mystical view on life and this idea of us just being programmed like robots is a little dry to me. :)
(after all that, do you wish you never asked??? haha)
RE: Law Of Attraction - Did I Attract The Bad Stuff?