(January 28, 2015 at 8:11 am)Tonus Wrote: I'm thinking in the pragmatic sense, where we might wonder if it would make a difference if we knew for certain one way or another. If the decisions and choices that brought me to this point were or were not unavoidable, I still got this far. Essentially the next step is to recognize that if it had been different, then it would... be different... probably. Not worth the concern, in my opinion.
I think the argument only matters to theists who want to use it as a way of getting god off the hook, and I think that's the only reason it's ever up for consideration.
See, I think the argument does matter, at least scientifically, because the more we try to understand if free will exists, the more we learn about how our brains function.
I have a pet theory that much of the world's problems are due to people's inability to understand their own brain's functions and what role their conscious mind actually plays in their decision making, but regardless, I think that attempting to understand how our consciousness operates can only be beneficial.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
