Do you control what you believe?

[Whateverist]

I hope I've made myself at least partly clearer.

Figuring out exactly what you mean when you deny libertarian free will is probably the more productive thing to do at this point. Apparently it comes down to what choices are on the menu we are conscious of, not our ability to decide between options on that menu. It is how our experiences in our unchosen environments up to the point of decision (perhaps with some equally unchosen innate dispositions) which determine the range of choice. In that sense we are not consciously free to generate new choices which reflect desires we don't actually possess.

Even if we (somehow) randomly generate a list of choices, at the point at which we decide between the choices we will be sorting by virtue of the desires we have not chosen. What else can we do? To take the restaurant metaphor a little further, if our dining companion encourages us to try something new we may find we like it. It may even insinuate itself among our pantheon of desires, thus influencing future motivation.

If that is all, I have no trouble conceding it. Not much really seems to be at stake. Perhaps you could elaborate if you think I'm missing anything important.

Of course, where questions of free will often come up is in connection with accountability and the application of state sanctioned justice. (Well, of course some would point to accountability to God and the question of sin but I suspect we can agree that is made moot if gods don't figure among the things one fears or desire.) Personally I have no problem with enforcing societal standards of behavior regardless of whether a person has been properly brought up to respect others. If some individuals don't have pro-social desires then we can at least hope that fear of consequences will have the desired effect.