Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: September 1, 2026, 11:11 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Hypothetically, science proves free will isn't real
#49
RE: Hypothetically, science proves free will isn't real
(July 6, 2016 at 4:08 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: In the sense of us determining otherwise. If indeterminism is true a set of dice 'could have done otherwise' in the sense that they could have rolled otherwise. But that's no kind of freedom.

The problem is that a free will requires a free determinination, but our will however determined is ultimately determined by other things if determinism is true, and if determinism is false then our will doesn't determine anything. If determinism is true there is no willing at all.

So would it matter at all if we were 'able to do otherwise' in the sense that we are things with the ability to do the other thing if the requisite circumstances were present?

Quote:A choice is free if we define "uncoerced" [1] and "voluntary" [2] to mean "free".

What do 1 and 2 mean? How does this help me to understand what a free choice is?

Quote:The problem with that is no one defines the existence of that kind of "free choice" or "free will"

Care to solve the problem and define 'that kind' of free choice? So far your definition is pretty vague (probably due to my ignorance).

Quote:It's like philosophers started talking about one thing and then the compatabilist stepped in and changed the subject... (compatablism just means the belief that free will is compatible with determinism. Well, who denies any kind of freedom so broad that it is compatible with a fully deterministic universe anyway? That's why it ignores the whole question. It jumps in with a trival truth.)

This seems like confusing terminology... didn't you say that "could have done otherwise" is the same as "us determining otherwise". The question is not whether or not human actions are determined... the question is who/what does the determining: either the person self-determines action in pure independence from determining influence; the person self-determines action in concert with determining influence; or the person does not determine action at all, rather other, non personally operating processes determine human action.
Reply



Messages In This Thread
RE: Hypothetically, science proves free will isn't real - by Ignorant - July 6, 2016 at 9:18 am

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  A thing about religious (and other) people and the illusion of free will ShinyCrystals 268 80441 June 23, 2025 at 10:23 pm
Last Post: awty
  Free Will Theodicy FlatAssembler 64 15398 July 13, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Last Post: Bucky Ball
  Isn’t pantheism the same thing as atheism? Ferrocyanide 177 43121 January 1, 2022 at 2:36 am
Last Post: Ferrocyanide
  On the lunacy of free will slartibartfast 152 32428 October 20, 2021 at 12:50 am
Last Post: Oldandeasilyconfused
  Reason Jesus must have been a real person mrj 74 24266 March 5, 2021 at 6:44 am
Last Post: awty
Thumbs Down 11-Year-Old Genius Proves Hawking Wrong About God Fake Messiah 7 2371 April 16, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Last Post: Succubus
  Quantum Physics Proves God’s Existence blue grey brain 15 4708 January 2, 2019 at 11:08 pm
Last Post: The Grand Nudger
  Popcorn Proves Poppy the Pop Corn God. The Valkyrie 67 23913 May 16, 2018 at 5:04 pm
Last Post: brewer
  Free gift. Chad32 32 10456 May 8, 2018 at 3:26 pm
Last Post: Astreja
  Being Catholic isn't an ethnic thing. Joods 0 1315 March 12, 2018 at 8:36 am
Last Post: Joods



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)