Free Will vs. Determinism.

[Alice Unchained]

I will leave my comment before reading throughout the thread.

In contrast to materialism, modern causal determinism is a system of thought that does not give answers. It only speculates, based on countless observations, that all events are interconnected but how exactly we can't be absolutely sure. Causal determinism provides an argument for any position on the political spectrum so it is largely apolitical.

There is no conflict between free will and determinism. Since our actions affect the physical world, then free will deterministically influence our physical environment and, if our actions really matter for the soul (or whatever there is that gives us free will), so is the opposite. Regardless of the point of view, the conditions of causal determinism are always satisfied.

 

[Tomb1]

Do you choose what foods you like, or does your brain make you crave certain foods because that is what it wants, because what it wants is what helps it function? Choice is an illusion, because it can be traced back to instinct. Everything you do, can be traced back to instinct, even if you are unaware of it. It is why people murder each other, it is why we love our families, and it is why we have dreams and aspirations.

Instincts are just a type of intelligence. Just because somebody uses instinctual intelligence to inform their choices or that their actions are nuanced by instinct does not undermine the freedom of those choices. I don't see any justification for oversimplifying it all into autonomic, determined behavior.

Also, human are animals. We do not exist in vaccums even without free will, we are in the same position as all animals. To think otherwise, is to reject the fact we are animals. Humans are just too arrogant to accept the "monke brain".

Interesting but I think you're conflating instinct with action, feeling and imagination and falling into the fallacy of oversimplification. As well, it's something of a strawman in that, if you just define everything as instinct, then it is easy to say that "choice is an illusion, because it can be traced back to instinct." They are all distinguishable. Murder is an action. Instinct is an intelligence. Love is a feeling. Dreams and aspirations stem from imagination. Without free will you'd exist in a vacuum of conscious experience, as in, you would have no conscious experience and thus no capacity for free choice. Raw instinct is useful as a type of intelligence that can be utilized in the service of freely self-directed action, but as I said it does not make the chosen action any less free than if a mathematical intelligence had instead been utilized in the service of said action.

 

[Pikaqiu]

I would love to believe that everyone is smart enough to use free will for the best of the world, but it would be very ideal.


When I was young, I would always think that rules are just suggestions and we should not be punished when we break them, since the whole idea is just a social construct. But after the pandemic, it was very hard to think that way since some people do believe in false information.

But to imply a rule to force these people to comply would only make them angrier. This debate will end when false information ends (I hope), when everyone is more aware of their community and are able to make the right decisions.

 

[Muladara]

Both are simultaneously true. Everything is predetermined by Jar Jar’s free will.

He’s the key to all of this.