The Neuroscience of Freedom and Creativity by Fuster Joaquín M

Author:Fuster, Joaquín M. [Fuster, Joaquín M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-09-17T16:00:00+00:00

Figure 5.1 The two cones of decision-making, the perceptual (P) converging on the present, and the executive (A) diverging from it into the future. The converging influences originate in a multitude of cortical cognits representing all active forms of memory, in addition to the subcortical biological drives weighing on a decision. The decision is a resultant – chosen – executive vector of action among the many possible alternatives of action and “affordance.”

An action can originate anywhere in the perception or action side of the PA cycle. This fact obviates much of the philosophizing about a “center of will” or of executive action in the brain without neglecting the enabling and orchestrating roles of the prefrontal cortex. Any one among the several sources of influence upon the decision process, categorized in Figure 5.1 and coming from one sector of the brain or another, can be the “deciding factor.” But in reality most decisions result from the competition, synergy, and compromise between numerous sources of influence, internal as well as external, conscious as well as unconscious. Among the unconscious are a host of cognits and drives that can determine decisions under the rubric of “intuitive instinct” or “gut feeling.” Some of them may not so much determine as simply bias or prime a decision.

Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? is the title of an insightful recent book.5 In the light of what I have just said, my answer to that question should be, “Yes, but those neurons all together are very well informed.” My point is that the choice of action is preceded by a choice or multiple choices of information. One decision – that is, one chosen action at a time – will emerge from the nervous system, but only after it has dealt with the present situation and its antecedents. These will be themselves subject to choice, even if this choice takes but a split second. In addition to the inputs in Figure 5.1, those antecedents encompass not only recent or current external stimulation but also its valence in the light of the entire experience of the organism – “phyletic” experience included.

Of course, the weight of each source of input onto the decision and onto the PA cycle can vary enormously from time to time, from individual to individual, and from situation to situation. In any event, various inputs will weigh differently on that decision, which may turn out to be a decision not to act at all, or to hold action in abeyance. Other inputs will lead to actions based on estimated probability of risk and reward. Some antecedents will be literally decisive, leading to a “winner-takes-all” outcome.

A relatively straightforward example will illustrate the complexity of antecedents leading to a free decision. Suppose you are considering an investment in the stock exchange. You have already considered several stocks, and examined the prospectus, history, and balance sheet of each of the issuing companies you are interested in. After careful scrutiny, you are inclined to choose shares of Chlotronic, a company (fictitious) in the energy sector.

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