Do you believe in free will?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Can anyone here who believes in free will explain to me HOW freewill could work? (without being random)
PhilippeLavoie
Level 4
Apr 30, 2018
0
Like you, I created a poll for this question when I joined this site. Like you, my answer to it is “no”. I’m curious— do you consume any Sam Harris?
I see everything as a chain of causality. When the big bang happened the peices were layed out to forever be influenced by the forces of nature as they would in each moment. This means that our universe’s specific big bang could only lead to this specific version of today, the specific version of history we all learned in school and the specific version of the future that will unfold.
It might sound like I believe in fate, so I need to stress that my view of the cosmos does not depend on the existence of a prime mover or that anything happened so that something else could happen.
I don’t claim to know how or why the big bang happened— only that it happened.
BeOPSVMo
Level 4
Apr 20, 2018
0
If the universe is deterministic, but infinitely varied, can both exist simultaneously? Can you "chose" your fate?
Who is it that is doing the choosing exactly? What choices led to your existence? If we do have free will, is it unique to humans (a product of higher cognition), or does even the smallect paramecium engage with "intent". Where is the boundary?
Back to the infinitely varied universe... What if the universe isn't infinite, but so unfathomably large that it doesn't make any difference? If we will never have the capacity to see the finest gears grinding, what is the difference between a destiny that cannot be known and free will?
A long time ago I reduced this question to whether people thought the universe was finite or infinite. It's a fun question because it cannot be concretely demonstrated one way or another. The response given tells you more about how the person sees their personal life more than any insight it provides on the genuine nature of the universe at large (mostly... a few notable exceptions from some thinky thinkers) . Infinite universe and free will go hand in hand... infinite variable = free will. Finite universe correlates with determinism... only so many parts to understand, so it can be figured out.
Anemynous
Level 7
Apr 10, 2018
0
Yes, I believe it, because otherwise there would be no explanation for the existence of free decision making.
DZhukovin
Level 7
Apr 8, 2018
0
Okay, so you ask "why I am certain of the existence of free decision making."
I am certain of it, because I could not objectively determine any properties of it, be it true, inconclusive, or false, without clear consciousness. So we let there be some method of perception, and some free decision making. The rule is we cannot deduce an "is" from an "ought", so assuming the modus of objective observation, then ergo we have free decision making, and therefore we have free will. Do you see the value of honesty, now?
How about you? Do you believe in free will, if yes how could it function within our bio-electric neurvous system?
PhilippeLavoie
Level 4
Apr 8, 2018
0
I am well aware of M. Kaku's belief that quantum physics may proove free will, however unless there is a pattern(which must be non-deterministic) this won't proove free will, it might be even wrost, it might proove that everything is random which i believe is even wrost than determinism
@Celeritas there is no God, just a vast universe we barely understand and which retreats before us ?
Appreciate the link, thanks
@WileEQuixote why do you think the theory that the universe was created out of nothing is more likely than that a being called god was created out of nothing and then created us
@PhilippeLavoie because one’s grounded in science and the other is bullshit?
@WileEQuixote there is no proof there was nothing before the big bang, both the existence and the non existence of some kind of intelligence before it are both equaly possible theories. But we're getting off topic here, why do you think quantum physics' randomness would be better than determinism?
@PhilippeLavoie it has nothing to do with what I think is better.
The science of the day supports random over determined.
@WileEQuixote BeerAndWine kinda just explained it but yeah that's my point adding Quantum physics makes free will even less possible I don't understand how some people like Kaku don't see it!
@PhilippeLavoie because they’re the experts and we’re not.
@WileEQuixote Albert Einstein didn't believe in Quantum physics either and wrote his famous "God doesn't play dice" referencing quantum physics, but yeah there is something wierd about electrons behaviour
@PhilippeLavoie he was also wrong.
The nature of science has evolved.
Shouldn't that be "I'm compelled to say Yes?"
If one does not have Free Will, then they must reply as dictated.
Unless that's the joke...
Either way, Determininsm is false, and FW is true.
WileEQuixote
Level 7
Apr 8, 2018
0
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