How Free Will and Omniscience Works

[Mystic]

1. OK, in the event where he votes Democrat without the coercion of the device, how is it not a free choice?

Because you are already stating the person will vote Democrat unless he thinks of an issue. The point is the way you are presenting it, is that he will chose something no matter what given x or y (without taking account of free-will). When you talk about something that is going to happen, then it's determined. If you stated, he might willingly chose x or be forced to be chose x, this is different then your analogy. The point it's not determined. Then there will be a further problem, because what happens when he is forced to chose x and it's unwillingly?

2. In the analogy, should he try to vote Republican, the device kicks in and causes him to vote Democratic. However, unlike the device, omniscience doesn't even have the potential to override your decision. Replacing the device with God's omniscience in the voting analogy, should Donald actually start to choose Republican, omniscience doesn't steer him back to Democrat.

The point is the analogy fails, because there is two initial wills. The person can freely chose x or freely want y but then forced to want x (the device kicks in). There is still an initial free-will.

The issue with God knowing the future, is that there is no free-will decision to start with, there is no initial choice between two things.

Therefore it's a false analogy.

The whole reason why it's free-will (ignoring the initial problem) is that there is an initial choice between two things. That initial choice when x, is free, but when is not x, and then forced to x, is not free.

There is two possibilities, 1) free choice of x, 2) forced choice of x after not willing x.....

The point is there is two possibilities, there isn't one possibility.

The case with God knowing the future, there is.

1) The choice God knows you are going to make and 2) There is no two or three or four.