 Do you believe you have Free Will?, a philosophical debate |
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| Do you believe you have Free Will?, a philosophical debate |
 May 24 2007, 01:05 PM
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 756 Joined: 22-February 06 From: san marcos, tx Member No.: 27  |
Alright everyone, just a philosophical debate/dialog.
The boards are full of the same political banter back and forth, so let's try something different. Basically, do you believe in free will? do you have it? Let's try to keep this clean and not personal. Be smart, not petty. Personally, I vote no. Why? a. No one ever asked me if I wanted to exist. because of that, my actions are directly a response to a denial of free will, and therefore not my own. b. Consequentialism. I believe that every event is interrelated. I do think there was a "big bang" type event, but I don't bother myself with what happened before that other than everything that happens is a product of what happened, and therefore predictable and unavoidable. No free will there either. Paging Jessica to the thread! |
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May 24 2007, 01:15 PM
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#2
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 Why so serious? Group: Global Moderators Posts: 5,286 Joined: 22-February 06 From: Fate, TX Member No.: 4 |
My birth may not have been of my free will, but given that I was born I can safely look back on that event and know that had I had a choice in the matter then I would have elected to have been born. I guess you can call that a retroactive mentality concerning the free will of one's birth.
But yes, biology is a process that operates seemingly beyond the constraints of "free will," per say. You don't force each single cell into mitosis, it just happens. Free will seems to encompass more of a set of extra-biological factors - emotions, responses, choices - than not, although there are always exceptions. I like this thread's concept. I'll be back to it after my job interview. -------------------- |
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May 24 2007, 01:18 PM
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#3
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Fool Group: Members Posts: 2,127 Joined: 23-February 06 From: LBB Member No.: 56 |
Yes, but only in the details. The main theme is not for me to decide.
-------------------- Spam? Isn't that something poor people eat?
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May 24 2007, 01:38 PM
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#4
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 New son Donovan Charles Mummert born July 17, 2008 Group: Members Posts: 8,635 Joined: 22-February 06 From: Port Wentworth, GA Member No.: 15 |
Most of the people on here are probably compatiblists.
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May 24 2007, 01:45 PM
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#5
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 Group: Members Posts: 1,795 Joined: 29-September 06 Member No.: 327 |
no
the interconnectedness of everything is far too intricate for me to believe there isn't a plan. while I have to put forth great effort, while I succeed, while I fuck up...that is all part of the plan. my buddies, most of whom are atheists, think I'm insane when it comes to this. My chick who is a christian also thinks I am insane...in regards to the other side. but I've had too many trippy experiences in life to dismiss it all as coincidence or much ado about nothing. it's what emerson calls the universal or over-soul. I have honed and conditioned my perception over the past couple decades to recognize that which normally goes unnoticed or unobserved. I don't mean like a ninja...I mean like a medicine man or soothsayer. or maybe I'm just truly insane. |
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May 24 2007, 02:03 PM
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#6
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 Group: Members Posts: 5,275 Joined: 22-February 06 Member No.: 2 |
You sound Buddhist or Taoist, which is a good thing.
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May 24 2007, 03:29 PM
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#7
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 Group: Members Posts: 1,302 Joined: 20-February 07 Member No.: 721 |
Is your brain "you"?
Does a loss of free will at one point in your life (imprisoned) negate true free will? Could i REALLY decide to punch a random person... and if i did was it because i chose too, or because it was meant to happen? -------------------- |
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May 24 2007, 03:57 PM
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#8
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 Group: Members Posts: 10,620 Joined: 23-February 06 From: Houston, TX Member No.: 48 |
I'm not really sure how anyone could answer "no" to this particular question. Free will is your ability to make choices. Whether it's one as simple as where to get dinner, or as complicated as what career path you want to enter into. Sure, your experiences and beliefs will influence your decisions, but you still have the ability to make choices.
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May 24 2007, 04:13 PM
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#9
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Fool Group: Members Posts: 2,127 Joined: 23-February 06 From: LBB Member No.: 56 |
Just because you make a choice doesn't mean that choice wasn't predetermined, which seems like it would ultimately not be your choice.
-------------------- Spam? Isn't that something poor people eat?
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May 24 2007, 04:15 PM
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#10
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 Eric The Sexy Group: Moderators Posts: 831 Joined: 23-February 06 Member No.: 30 |
You've already made the choice, now you have to understand it.
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May 24 2007, 04:17 PM
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#11
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Group: Members Posts: 10,620 Joined: 23-February 06 From: Houston, TX Member No.: 48 |
QUOTE (James @ May 24 2007, 05:13 PM)  Just because you make a choice doesn't mean that choice wasn't predetermined, which seems like it would ultimately not be your choice. that makes no sense... if it was pre-determined, then you didn't have a choice. you can't have a pre-determined choice. |
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May 24 2007, 04:23 PM
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#12
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Fool Group: Members Posts: 2,127 Joined: 23-February 06 From: LBB Member No.: 56 |
Just because you don't know that it was pre-determined doesn't mean that it wasn't is what I meant, I guess. What I'm saying makes sense to me. Sorry it doesn't to you.
-------------------- Spam? Isn't that something poor people eat?
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May 24 2007, 05:00 PM
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#13
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CHEE CHEE Group: Members Posts: 5,026 Joined: 23-February 06 From: trapped in the hoezone layer Member No.: 39 |
your brain and physiology dictate your behavior with relatively little "conscious" control. do you have free will? a wee little bit
-------------------- Little monkeys making money
Naked monkey looking funny Mighty males are strong and free Female monkey, not so lucky Rocking monkeys, funky monkeys Monkeys sticking other monkeys Monkeys wrong or monkeys right Mostly flexing monkey might |
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May 24 2007, 05:13 PM
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#14
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Group: Admin Posts: 6,906 Joined: 22-February 06 From: Austin Member No.: 9 |
Yes, but our actions are heavily influenced by circumstances in the world around us.
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May 24 2007, 05:13 PM
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#15
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 GORILLA FLUFFER  Group: Agents Posts: 7,711 Joined: 23-February 06 From: lubbock Member No.: 50 |
QUOTE (impala454 @ May 24 2007, 04:57 PM) I'm not really sure how anyone could answer "no" to this particular question. Free will is your ability to make choices. Whether it's one as simple as where to get dinner, or as complicated as what career path you want to enter into. Sure, your experiences and beliefs will influence your decisions, but you still have the ability to make choices. i believe there is a supreme being who will sit in judgement of my actions when i die. i believe that the supreme being already knows if i am going to hell or heaven when i am born. to think that this being is less than omnipotent is kinda flawed, to me, the universe was created for a purpose and everything in it. i feel that "freedom of choice" was given to us so that WE may have the ability to think out our own choices and consequences.... if you choose to steal something, you have wieghed and considered the options and did it of your own free will in your mind. just because someone else already knew you would do it doesn't matter too much. maybe the supreme irony is that freedom of choice was given to us so that when we die, we are capable of looking back on our own lives and judging OURSELVES to be worthy of heaven or hell... heh --------------------  QUOTE (Jessica @ May 7 2007, 01:15 PM) but yeehaw dammit. YEEHAW QUOTE (Dogmeat @ Jun 26 2008, 07:51 PM) ok once upon a time I jacked myself off retarded. Licking anuses, one kindergarten class at a time!! |
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