Exercising Free Will

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Transcript Exercising Free Will

Why is Charlie Sheen an Actor?
Why Do We Do What We Do?
Albert Einstein
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“Fear or stupidity has always been the
basis of most human action.”
Basis of Human Action and
Decision Making?
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Beliefs
Desires
Instinct
Act out your beliefs
Pursue your desires
Succumb to instinct
Beliefs
You act out what you believe?
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I believe the world is a dangerous
place.
I believe people should______.
I am skeptical of all claims.
An “ideal” manager does ______.
The best investment philosophy is___.
Beliefs
Filters and Reinforcements
Question Beliefs & Values
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Ethics change over time
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Dad’s world view
What Do We Know?
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Should we have a revolutionary war?
Should non-landowners be able to vote?
Should we free the slaves?
Should former slaves be able to vote?
Should women be able to vote?
Should we enact worker dignity laws?
Should we enter WWII?
Is rock and roll the devil’s music?
Were McCarthy’s Communist hearings a good idea?
Should divorced people be treated with disgrace?
Should we pass the Civil Rights Act?
Was the Vietnam war a good idea?
END
Desires
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Cialdini knows where our desires come
from
Are we honest about our desires?
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Mark Cuban and flattery
Desire to feel good
Desire to feel safe
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I have to scare you first.
First I create the disease – then I create the
cure.
Living by Instinct
“Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above”
Rose Thayer (Katherine Hepburn) The African Queen
Human Animals – Instinct…...................Real Human Beings – Free Will
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Wealth/Greed...................................Altruism and charity
Seek security at all cost....................Get out of your comfort zone
Preserve status quo..........................Change
Meeting society’s expectations...........Be authentic to yourself
(following the herd).......................... (think for yourself)
Traditional gender roles.................... Equality of the sexes
Tribalism (nationalism)..................... Multi-culturalism
Praise authority................................ Question authority
Praise and follow the leader.............. I don’t need a leader
Consistency is safe............................Strive for improvement
Guided by personal experience...........Critical thinking
Freewill???........................................Free Will!!!!!
Surviving........................................Living
Basis of Human Action and Decision
Making? Beliefs, Desires & Instinct
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You
You
You
You
do
do
do
do
what
what
what
what
you feel obligated to do.
is the easiest.
makes you feel safe.
you’ve always done.
You Might Be Exercising Free
Will If…..
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You change a core belief.
You get outside your comfort zone.
You admit you were wrong about
something important.
You increase your self-awareness.
You do something you wouldn’t do.
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What if I like what I do?
Requirements of Free Will
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Awareness of choices and real
consequences
Self-awareness
Philosophy and goals
A proactive mindset
Free of coercion or undue influence
1. Awareness of Choices and
Real Consequences
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If you choose one of 10 known options
when there are, in fact, more than 100
options, have you really exercised free
will?
Junkfinger Test
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Tattoos
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Traffic tickets
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Brushes with the law
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Being sick
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Promptness
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Pets
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Smoking
If You Don’t Want to Fall in the
Grand Canyon--Don’t Go to Arizona
What I do
today affects
what happens
tomorrow.
Junkfinger Test
In the Business World
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Inconsistency
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Excuses
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Making enemies at work
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Always talking, never listening
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Accept things as they are
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Acting uninterested – not engaged
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Lose credibility
Goldfinger
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Behavior and attitude that put you in
a position for good things to happen:
1.
2.
3.
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5.
?
?
?
?
?
Most people end up where their
behavior indicates they want to be.
2. Self-awareness
Metacognition
“The truth will set you free {John 8:32}……
but first it will piss you off.”
Werner Erhard, founder, est Training
“The greatest of all faults, I should say, is to be
conscious of none.”
Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881) Scottish writer
3. Philosophy and Goals
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Life philosophies down 50%
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Man may be wired for meaning
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“Consider first the end.”
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Leonardo da Vinci
No Philosophy?
A lifestyle is not the same as a life.
“Consumerism is a desperate
substitute for living. Consumer
bliss has the effect of diverting
people’s attention away from
the community
to the self.”
--Vaclav Havel
Czech playwright and political leader
Selling Excess Consumerism
Selling Excess Consumerism
sexual
reference
40%
destroy selfesteem
40%
lie
20%
Selling Consumerism
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Advertising executive speaking on the
great challenge of his business today:
“Consumers are like cockroaches – you
spray them and spray them and
eventually they build immunity.”
4. A Proactive Mindset
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“The best way to forecast your future is to
make it happen.”
Bias for action (discussed later)
5. The CRAMPERS
Free of coercion or undue influence
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C
R
A
M
P
E
R
Culture (gives context)
Religion
Advertising/Mass Marketing
Media
Parents
Education
Relationships (who you know)
Advertising
CRAMPER example:
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Your desire: hunger – their solution –
Big Mac w/bacon or Combos
Prey on insecurity, and promise
happiness and security through
consumption
CRAMPERS
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CRAMPERS set the serving size.
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Media’s goal is to entertain not inform.
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Machiavelli's real message: People want
to be led and told what to do.
Monster.com problems.
Basis of Human Action and
Decision Making?
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“He who joyfully marches in rank and
file has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by
mistake, since for him the spinal cord
would suffice.”
--Albert Einstein
Student’s Thoughts on Free Will:
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“When you grow up in the heartland–using free will
doesn’t look like such a good idea. I think back to
junior high and high school and the only kids to use
freewill were criticized and even punished.”
“I was scolded hard for doing anything or even
thinking about anything that society or my parents
said was not the norm.”
“As a kid growing up in Oklahoma, I was always
taught that curiosity killed the cat.”
“… my rebellious nature, which I blame on my
parents’ unwavering need for me to conform to
society’s norms.”
Free Will
Applications
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Awareness keeps your brain on track
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Question your beliefs and assumptions
Be honest about your desires
Struggle to exercise free will
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Lifelong learning
Put yourself in positions for good things to happen
Set goals and make things happen
Be aware of CRAMPERS
CRAMP others in a positive manner