Brain Sci. 2012, 2, 405-420; doi:10.3390/brainsci2030405 OPEN ACCESS brain sciences ISSN 2076-3425 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/ Communication There Are Conscious and Unconscious Agendas in the Brain and Both Are Important—Our Will Can Be Conscious as Well as Unconscious Lüder Deecke Department of Clinical Neurology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +43-1320-5558; Fax: +43-1320-0309 Received: 28 June 2012; in revised form: 28 August 2012 / Accepted: 30 August 2012 / Published: 18 September 2012 Abstract: I have been asked to write a few words on consciousness in this editorial issue. My thoughts on consciousness will focus on the relation between consciousness and will. Consciousness is not an epiphenomenon as some people believe—it is not a psychological construct either. Consciousness is a brain function. With deeper thought it is even more than that—a brain state. Writing this, I am in a conscious state, I hope at least. In every day philosophy, a close connection of consciousness with will is ventured, and is expressed in the term “conscious free will”. However, this does not mean that our will is totally determined and not free, be it conscious or unconscious. Total determinists postulate total freedom from nature in order to speak of free will. Absolute freedom from nature is an a priori impossibility; there is no way to escape from nature. However, we have relative freedom, graded freedom, freedom in degrees, enabling us to make responsible decisions and be captains of our own destiny. We are not totally determined.