If creatures cannot decide to change their behavior, then they do not have a consciousness or free will, regardless of feelings or emotions.
They cannot be said to be "aware" in any meaningful sense, even if they have the perception that they have a consciousness and are autonomous, without this ability.
To decide to change behavior and then to do it is the demonstration of free will. Creatures that cannot do this are merely robots or automatons.
which makes me wonder about Jared Loughner who killed 6 in AZ last year. It's only recently that he realizes what he did, and wept over his killing of a child.
ReplyDeleteI was actually thinking of myself, but yes, the severely mentally ill are a more extreme case of this. However, he pretty clearly has psychotic episodes where his sense of reality is distorted.
DeleteI was thinking more on the "mild compulsive" spectrum, which would broaden the problem.