the mind-brain problem

a variety of ways this question is asked - but the essential question is this: is there a non-physical soul that exists that controls our physical processes? do we have a mind/soul/spirit that controls our brain? is the mind simply a manifestation of a process (e.g. "fear" is a perception process by the brain's neurons, rather than a tangible thing that we can lay our hands on. we can create the circumstances for it, but we can't grasp/build/destroy/transfer it)

this question is so vexing it lies at the very core of such problems of freewill vs destiny, afterlife, or whether machines can have consciousness.

for the non-atheist, the answer is relatively simple - yes, gods, God, the Way, our higher consciousness, our astral being, these control our earthly bodies and brains. i can definitely see the beautiful simplicity of such - simply trust and believe, and be content.

for the strict atheist, this presents a more complicated problem. with no ethereal matter, consciousness can only be a physical process. it leaves no room for the soul, which presents a freewill problem. if everything is pre-determined and acts in accordance to the scientific laws of the universe, then freewill is purely an illusion.

there might still be two solutions for the freewill problem, neither i yet understand. one is compatibilism, where there is no conflict between freewill and determinism. the other is a series of blogs at 13.7, where they explore complicated quantum coherence to come to a conclusion that it is possible to have a responsible freewill.

one of my teachers gels the two concepts as follows: the place we are at is a product of our past actions and circumstances, no doubt. where we go from here is probabilistic, but can't be precisely determined. due to the almost infinite variations that can occur from today, calling the future deterministic borders on meaningless, since any one of the million possibilities could end up being true. on a day-to-day basis, it is a random walk about life. we can see why something happened, but we can't with 100% confidence foretell the future.

however, upon achieving some level of self-awareness, i.e. knowing our present actions have some sort of effect on our future circumstances, this sets in motion a long term discernible trend and pattern. once this "initial level" is achieved, the belief on whether you can change your neurons becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. can i influence probability then? at some point, is the problem is reduced to if you believe it, then you can do it. if you don't believe, then you can't. and why is that - simply the nature of things?