Since when is determinism linked with theism? And since when is free will linked with atheism?
I've talked with several Christians and all of them claimed Free Will as something deeply important for religion, yet at the same time they claimed God knew the future (= destiny).
IMO determinism is the only rational conclusion for the scientific evidence we have, but it doesn't lend itself to everyday thinking. Having no free will doesn't mean we don't decide, it only means are decisions are based on outside (and inside!) influence, rather than some spiritual "I" which pulls the levers.
Learning that free will is an illusion is no more destructive to our everyday habits than learning that different items of the same weight only fall at different speeds because of friction with air -- not very. In fact, we might just as well ignore it for everyday thinking. It's only when it matters that we should remember it: when creating space ships, for example. Or in this case, when we try to predict behaviour.
I've talked with several Christians and all of them claimed Free Will as something deeply important for religion, yet at the same time they claimed God knew the future (= destiny).
IMO determinism is the only rational conclusion for the scientific evidence we have, but it doesn't lend itself to everyday thinking. Having no free will doesn't mean we don't decide, it only means are decisions are based on outside (and inside!) influence, rather than some spiritual "I" which pulls the levers.
Learning that free will is an illusion is no more destructive to our everyday habits than learning that different items of the same weight only fall at different speeds because of friction with air -- not very. In fact, we might just as well ignore it for everyday thinking. It's only when it matters that we should remember it: when creating space ships, for example. Or in this case, when we try to predict behaviour.
