I think I'm with Dennett. Can't we say our biological responses are us, therefore part of our free will? We made up the term anyway, might as well make up the qualifications for it.
Exactly! It might all just be semantics. Freedom to choose, the illusion of free will, or all at the mercy of predictable particles - whatever the truth, the reality is the same. We make (believe we) choices and accept responsibility for those. Still, it’s an interesting thought experiment
Great read. I like the balanced approach looking at both sides.
Nonetheless, I fall into the "no free will exists" group. For me, the main arguments between camps come down to semantics / definitions of what "free" means.
It's clear that we have will - but the question is: is that will free from influencing factors outside our control (i.e. genes + environment)?
If our will can be truly independent of any factors, then we can call it free... Otherwise I think there needs to be hard evidence proving that somehow our free will defies the laws of physics / cause and effect, AKA determinism (but not PREdeterminism). ☺️
Cheers Dominic! You know, since writing this, I’ve gone even further down the rabbit hole and I’m now coming down on the side that even that sliver is an illusion.
Yes, it's difficult to accept... Even though at an intellectual level, I believe that free will doesn't exist, it's difficult to apply that paradigm to everyday life consistently. E.g. not blaming people for their actions. Or not taking credit for things that weren't due to my own free will.
(Whether it's difficult to put into practice due to conditioning, or some kind of biological imperative, I'm not sure...)
I think once one gets past the nihilistic pitfalls, and understanding the nuance of how it's not the same thing as fatalism, it can be freeing. But definitely hard to get there 🙃
This cuts deep.
I think I'm with Dennett. Can't we say our biological responses are us, therefore part of our free will? We made up the term anyway, might as well make up the qualifications for it.
Exactly! It might all just be semantics. Freedom to choose, the illusion of free will, or all at the mercy of predictable particles - whatever the truth, the reality is the same. We make (believe we) choices and accept responsibility for those. Still, it’s an interesting thought experiment
Great read. I like the balanced approach looking at both sides.
Nonetheless, I fall into the "no free will exists" group. For me, the main arguments between camps come down to semantics / definitions of what "free" means.
It's clear that we have will - but the question is: is that will free from influencing factors outside our control (i.e. genes + environment)?
If our will can be truly independent of any factors, then we can call it free... Otherwise I think there needs to be hard evidence proving that somehow our free will defies the laws of physics / cause and effect, AKA determinism (but not PREdeterminism). ☺️
Cheers Dominic! You know, since writing this, I’ve gone even further down the rabbit hole and I’m now coming down on the side that even that sliver is an illusion.
Yes, it's difficult to accept... Even though at an intellectual level, I believe that free will doesn't exist, it's difficult to apply that paradigm to everyday life consistently. E.g. not blaming people for their actions. Or not taking credit for things that weren't due to my own free will.
(Whether it's difficult to put into practice due to conditioning, or some kind of biological imperative, I'm not sure...)
I think once one gets past the nihilistic pitfalls, and understanding the nuance of how it's not the same thing as fatalism, it can be freeing. But definitely hard to get there 🙃
This is my new go-to argument for debates on free will. Nice one!
Not come across compatibilism, so thank you.
Also, "Just enough choice to matter." is very useful :)
This is my new go-to argument for debates on free will. Nice one!
This is my new go-to argument for debates on free will. Nice one!