Do you consider yourself a 'good person'?

[swarm]

I'm talking about all people.

No you are talking about good people and excluding bad people. If every one wanted to be good things would be much nicer, but some people don't.

It makes no sense at all to think anyone chooses to do anything they don't think is justified or necessary.

Not everything makes sense.

Absurd.

So you say and yet you act like you've never met any one who wasn't Ghandi.

I've known people who like doing things which are pretty universally accepted as bad and which they acknowledged as bad. You know, basic stuff like beating people up, mutilating them, killing them, lying, stealing...

I'm afraid I can't find support for your rosey outlook.

 

[swarm]

If they have no intent they would not strive. The two are clearly linked.

No, you are still just making presumptions. You can't see inside other people's minds to know why they are doing what they do. The latest research has shown a good amount of the time we don't really know why we are doing what we do either, so even if some one is being honest, they still may not give accurate data.

Actions over time are what they are.

 

[Anti-Flag]

No, you are still just making presumptions. You can't see inside other people's minds to know why they are doing what they do. The latest research has shown a good amount of the time we don't really know why we are doing what we do either, so even if some one is being honest, they still may not give accurate data.

Actions over time are what they are.

Of course, many a time have I accidently given money to charity, or noticed a drowning boy then wouldn't you know I tripped and fell in the lake myself, drifted out towards him, grabbed hold of him to save myself and low and behold before I knew what I was doing I'd dragged him to the side of the lake. It's easily done.

Care to explain how one can have no intent to strive for good but does it anyway? What is their reasoning? All these accidental good people in the world, who'd have thought huh?

 

[swarm]

Of course, many a time have I accidently ...

Yes the conscious mind likes to create back stories where it is always in charge and the one making all the decisions. But it is ponderous, slow and can only really handle one think at a time.

They can watch your brain in action now and they see that in some decisions like grabbing some food, the arm is moving before the consciousness lights up with the decision to grab.

Risking yourself to save the drowning boy is probably not a conscious decision at all. There frankly isn't time in such a circumstance to think about something and high stress situations tend to shut the conscious mind down, its just too slow and it uses too many resources to run during crisis. This is why people do such strange things under pressure.

You have two other brains which have been around for a lot longer than consciousness and they are streamlined for action.

 

[Anti-Flag]

Yes the conscious mind likes to create back stories where it is always in charge and the one making all the decisions. But it is ponderous, slow and can only really handle one think at a time.

They can watch your brain in action now and they see that in some decisions like grabbing some food, the arm is moving before the consciousness lights up with the decision to grab.

Risking yourself to save the drowning boy is probably not a conscious decision at all. There frankly isn't time in such a circumstance to think about something and high stress situations tend to shut the conscious mind down, its just too slow and it uses too many resources to run during crisis. This is why people do such strange things under pressure.

You have two other brains which have been around for a lot longer than consciousness and they are streamlined for action.

So subconsciously being good and risking your life for someone you don't know or care about is programmed into us? Is there no stage where normal thought kicks in? Where you hit the water and suddenly think "what the fuck am I doing?" Or get half way and decide this is a little difficult and you don't want to do this and turn back? Do you think the brain just shuts down all normal thoughts for the whole duration? Evidence?
It also doesn't change the situations which DO require thought where if a person doesn't want to do good then they won't.

 

[swarm]

So subconsciously being good and risking your life for someone you don't know or care about is programmed into us?

Yep and it can extend to anything you see as your "in" group. People get killed "rescuing " dogs on a fairly regular basis. FYI folks, dogs swim far better than most people in clothes.

Is there no stage where normal thought kicks in?

It can happen. So people are better at this than others. They are "cool headed" in a crisis. Training under realistic conditions and a lot of relevant experience helps significantly.

Where you hit the water and suddenly think "what the fuck am I doing?" Or get half way and decide this is a little difficult and you don't want to do this and turn back?

It can happen, but usually you just end up dying.

Do you think the brain just shuts down all normal thoughts for the whole duration? Evidence?

My experience in such situations is it can be quite a while before people are calm enough to think straight.

It also doesn't change the situations which DO require thought where if a person doesn't want to do good then they won't.

Even when there is actual thought involved there is often more than just that going on.