(March 20, 2022 at 6:56 pm)Istvan Wrote:(March 19, 2022 at 7:44 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: As a quick aside, what is your assessment on the metaphysics of free will? Not to derail your thread or anything-- trust me the risk is there. I was just curious given Sartre's philosophy which you seem quite keen on. (The short answer will do.)
Sorry I missed this. I basically accept the idea of free will. I'm skeptical of claims that free will somehow violates the laws of physics, etc., and I regard anything that says human perception or freedom is an illusion as a consolation fantasy: it's reassuring to think that we don't have to feel responsible for what we do in our lives and societies.
I don't think determinist/incompatibilist theories absolve us of personal responsibility. But they do suggest that our judgments about the moral worth of others are probably mistaken. There is no direct violation of existentialism in that case. Such a conclusion might even be quintessentially existentialist.
