Monti_r t1_iuib2am wrote on October 31, 2022 at 3:28 PM

Reply to comment by Lost_Vegetable887 in Conscious Reality Is Only a Memory of Unconscious Actions, Scientists Propose In Radical New Theory by mossadnik

Except I don’t make a move until it’s rational and logically (hopefully) sound. If I can’t logic my way to a move it is never made and thus a decision is not reached. Once I make a move the clock stops I don’t then think about why I made that move over other moves I am now thinking of future moves. Are you saying that I reached that decision in say 5 minutes then took ten minutes to rationalize? Because I have regularly changed my mind on what piece I’m even going to move while going through the logic of the move.

Lost_Vegetable887 t1_iuj41e4 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 6:40 PM

You'd probably agree there is almost always more than one logical / rational next step to consider, right? Decision making in chess is about weighing different probabilities, long-term outcomes etc. How do you decide that you've reached the most sound conclusion? How do you reach a conclusion at all?

The unconscious part of that decision-making process lies in the moment just before you determine you've made your most sound decision. While you were circling through different options, at some point your unconscious brain decided it knew enough, and converged on a decision. This choice has been shown to take place fractions before you become consciously aware of the choice. If a neuroscientist were reading out your brain signaling while you were playing chess, they would know you've reached a decision right before you yourself would know you'd reached a decision.