RE: Do you control what you believe?
October 26, 2012 at 7:15 pm
(This post was last modified: October 26, 2012 at 7:16 pm by Whateverist.)
Just to be clear, what exactly are you denying when you say you don't think we have free will, DvsF? Are we incapable of making any arbitrary act at all unless it is motivated by a fear or desire which the cosmic dominoes have caused us to possess? Or does having a will mean you can choose to do a thing or not do a thing on a whim?
It seems to me that unless there is some freedom in the system it is scarcely meaningful to say we have any kind of will. I think some people actually think this, that we are scarcely more than marionettes who spin a rationalizing tale after the fact. If this were true then it isn't just free will that we lack, it is will itself.
If I am free to prioritize among my unchosen fears and desires -and to be creative about how I act to maximize my happiness given my understanding of what they are .. why is that not considered free? If I must be free to choose my fears and desires, you may as well say I must be free to choose who I am or will be. On what basis then could I possibly make such a choice?
This is where I get stuck. It doesn't seem to make any sense.
It seems to me that unless there is some freedom in the system it is scarcely meaningful to say we have any kind of will. I think some people actually think this, that we are scarcely more than marionettes who spin a rationalizing tale after the fact. If this were true then it isn't just free will that we lack, it is will itself.
If I am free to prioritize among my unchosen fears and desires -and to be creative about how I act to maximize my happiness given my understanding of what they are .. why is that not considered free? If I must be free to choose my fears and desires, you may as well say I must be free to choose who I am or will be. On what basis then could I possibly make such a choice?
This is where I get stuck. It doesn't seem to make any sense.
