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Voluntary – reaction decisions are subject to external influences that occur in our daily lives. The eighteenth century philosopher David Hume described these reactions decisions in an essay ~ An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding – 1777 edition. His concept of decision making is based on ideas. He divided the process of idea decision making into three idea scenarios - resemblance
- cause and effect
- contiguity
He does suggest there may be a fourth source of ideas – contrast or contrariety – but basically seems to think this fourth source is a combination of causation and resemblance, Forming ideas by resemblance is a process of seeing something and then having an idea of a similar nature. This is the most common source of reactive “new ideas”. Abraham Lincoln implied the same notion by stating “Books serve to shows a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.” Cause and effect ideas tend to be largely of a more physical nature – pleasure and pain – and this is true even when the idea originates in the thought process. Touch a hot stove and it hurts; see a hot stove and we visualize the hurt. Contiguity ideas are based on the logical progression of A is followed by B. This is a deductive process that requires more thought than does resemblance or cause and effect. Because decision making is first controlled by the involuntary action lower brain stem, we are subject to more base desires. It requires conscious voluntary reaction thinking to overcome these animalistic decisions. Acts of moral turpitude are based on biological principles of survival and / or gratification. It is only in higher biological beings that the concept of moral consequences voluntary reaction is active. Just how far down the evolutionary tree are moral principles considered is unknown. It requires a conscious effort to institute the reactive idea-making process. This higher-being consideration is based on the Hume-described principles of resemblance, cause and effect and contiguity. The societal standard of family happiness is a long established guideline based on the concept that ideas can trump biological urges. This learned standard is supported in many advanced civilizations. Though religion may be considered suspect due to its inherent metaphysical nature, family happiness has been shown to be based on voluntary – reaction decisions supported by religious ethics. An excellent text to evaluate these voluntary – reaction decisions is Stephen Covey’s ~ Spiritual Roots of Human Relationships. For believers and non-believers alike the Judeo-Christian ethic of the “thou shall not” and “Sermon on the Mount” is civilized mankind’s best guidelines for controlling the inner beast. Belief in a god is not necessary to live these guidelines, but it does make it easier. The first thinking humans needed something outside of self to deal with the unknown. That unknown vacuum was filled by two near equal powers – one for good and one for evil. Modern man still finds it easier to live with that arrangement. It is easier because trying to deal with the T. Rex DNA which we all contain must be suppressed by a cognitive voluntary-reaction decision otherwise we will eat our young. Life is about relationships: Relationships with others and maybe even more important relationship with self. A negative self-image is very corrosive and allows the beast to arise which leads to poor relationships. The beast is self-centered and considers only two options, survival and gratification, and no voluntary – reaction decision is necessary. The failure to consider cause and effect leads to destruction of the family unit. |
