(March 14, 2016 at 9:16 pm)truth_seeker Wrote:(March 14, 2016 at 9:04 pm)Ryantology (╯°◊°)╯︵ ══╬ Wrote: Yeah. In that sense, 'free' is a meaningless modifier. The very concept of will, as I understand it, relies on the assumption that there is some capacity to exercise some degree of influence on a deterministic universe which is not recognizably dependent on said deterministic forces. There is either will, or we're just parts of the machine.
The problem in these kinds of discussions is that the word 'free' is used by theists (and quite a few atheists, to be honest) to suggest that 100% of the responsibility for a person's actions rest upon that person, and that none of it rests with God (who would actually have free will).
In your screenshot, you are *free* to choose "Abort", "Retry", "Fail", or simply "Nothing at all" and just stare at the screen as long as you want.
You have just exercised free will.
On the other hand, if I came next to you, tied your body, moved your hand on the keyboard to select "Abort", "Retry", "Fail", or "Nothing"
>>> then you did not have *free* will in this case.
HOWEVER, even in this case you might still had a will inside of you to choose "Abort", but that will has not been freed because of my intervention. Your will is still true and does exist, but my intervention caused it to be not free, hence the term "against your will".
If my will is not allowed to be exercised, does that not simply subject me to deterministic effects, in a practical sense? If I am not free to exercise my will, I may as well not have will at all.
