is thought an illusion?

Question

if there is no such thing as random and everything is predetermined isnt the idea of thought just an illusion?

Answer 1

The premise of you supposition is false since truly random events (as opposed to uncertainty due to ingnorance) are intrinsic to modern physical theory (quantum mechancs).

Answer 2

Most animals likely exist in nature without thought. Does your favorite dog ever contemplate, "Hope master gives me a nice juicy bone tomorrow"? It is more likely a see-the-cat, chase-the-cat! existence. Can there be 'thought' without language? Does language delimit our thought? If we walked down the street with a two-word vocabulary (Yes-No) what could we think? Cross the street, yes or no? We appear to have freedom of choice but we must choose from a repertoire that presently resides within our memory and experience, or react instinctively. Hand on stove, I thinks it's getting hot (we remove our hand instinctively). We see photons not objects, we hear sound waves and not music and we feel our own nerve endings not objects. What is not an illusion? However we can integrate a great deal of input meld it with memory and move on as though it was all somehow real. Sorry, I must leave. Master must us my computer banks again!

Answer 3

Yes, many things work predetermined, but not everything! Electrons and Light for example, are influenced by quantum mechanics (which is absolutely non-deterministic!). As we all know, our brain function works through neurons (electronically excitable cells). There is a real good chance that thoughts are not 100% pre-determined. But remember, this is a fairly new subject... we simply cannot say what is true or not... maybe in the near future.

Answer 4

This is an intriguing idea, and I used to believe something very similar. I once argued that free will was an illusion--and that every thing we do is a programmed reaction to outside events. (Even including trivial things like tying one's shoelaces...)

I believe that "chaos theory" represents a way to salvage the concept of free will. If, as chaos theory says, complex systems become "unpredictable" we can presume that there is a random element in the universe after all. If there is anything random in our brains, then maybe free will arises from that.

In some ways, its not any comfort.

Answer 5

Thought is only the illusion of a predetermined future. so if the future makes u think then it is in itself the very thought that makes the future predetermined

Answer 6

Your mind is affected by it's surrounding environment, everything you see or touch triggers a thought that leads to another thought, thus making your mind function like clockwork. Your mind is predetermined by your state of being, by you're interpretations of events, and objects. Moments in your life add pieces to thoughts your mind projects, referring back to the encylopedia that your brain becomes. A mindless quilt of nonsensical information turns into a thought, thus an illusion for we can not determine it's origin.

Answer 7

No. Turn it around. Illusion is thought. When something that is considered illusion come to manifest themselves, people have to think about it. Whether the illusion(s) are true or not, there are questions that are asked, thus thought.

So, as for me, illusions come first. Not thought.

Answer 8

I believe thought has a way of controlling the world around us, then again that could be an illusion to keep me from findind out any real truth... one can never really know.

Answer 9

Look in a dictionary. You'll see there's a difference.

Answer 10

thoughts are the only things you have that are your own, and that you take with you wherever you go, even to sleep, so keep thinking