Do you believe you have Free Will?, a philosophical debate Options

[Epic]

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!

[cupcake]

it's not about age...it's about how many times you've gone through all this. it's not a haughty statement...it's about as haughty as saying "hey your hair is black". when I say too early, I'm saying your early on in your cycle though all this. my sister is too, as are many people very important to me.

and quit getting so pissy. if you want to think I am being mean that is on you. the fact that you're not getting what I'm saying is what make me believe you are early on.

I'm far from having it all figured out.

but I have done this a few times I know that much. how else would you explain that going to new places and knowing exactly where I was going and what I was going to see there or encounter? knowing before I go in if shit was going to be positive or negative? how else can you explain recognizing someone you've never met before and them being significantly important to you for the rest of your life? how can you explain never having read something, yet as you read it you know what it is going to say almost word for word?

just because something is pre-determined doesn't mean you're not making a decision.

that's the key difference here in my opinion. yes God has us make our own choices, but in the end there is only one choice to make. that is not free will.

one caveat...I suppose you could explain the daily (really...every day) experiences I have as some sort of ESP thing...but that seems like a way way too far out possibility. I find it much more plausible to think we keep doing it til we get it right (right as in what God wants).

[impala454]

it's not about age...it's about how many times you've gone through all this. it's not a haughty statement...it's about as haughty as saying "hey your hair is black". when I say too early, I'm saying your early on in your cycle though all this. my sister is too, as are many people very important to me.

and quit getting so pissy. if you want to think I am being mean that is on you. the fact that you're not getting what I'm saying is what make me believe you are early on.

I'm far from having it all figured out.

but I have done this a few times I know that much. how else would you explain that going to new places and knowing exactly where I was going and what I was going to see there or encounter? knowing before I go in if shit was going to be positive or negative? how else can you explain recognizing someone you've never met before and them being significantly important to you for the rest of your life? how can you explain never having read something, yet as you read it you know what it is going to say almost word for word?
that's the key difference here in my opinion. yes God has us make our own choices, but in the end there is only one choice to make. that is not free will.

one caveat...I suppose you could explain the daily (really...every day) experiences I have as some sort of ESP thing...but that seems like a way way too far out possibility. I find it much more plausible to think we keep doing it til we get it right (right as in what God wants).

I understand perfectly what you're saying. It has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of free will. You obviously have the thought that you've been through "more lives" than the rest of us, and therefore have come to the conclusion that you know what we don't. If that's not "haughty" I dunno what is. Tell me, with your enlightened mind, how going through a past life would mean you have no free will in the next life. Even if it were true (which I think is a crock o shit), all it would mean is you simply have more experiences to draw from, to make better decisions.

your statement:
"yes God has us make our own choices, but in the end there is only one choice to make. that is not free will."
makes absolutely no sense. how would god have us make our own choices, but give us only one choice to make? if there's only one way to go, you never had a choice in the first place! you're getting a little too caught up in your own psycho babble here bud, and not thinking about how simple this really is.

[Mommy]

I understand perfectly what you're saying. It has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of free will. You obviously have the thought that you've been through "more lives" than the rest of us, and therefore have come to the conclusion that you know what we don't. If that's not "haughty" I dunno what is. Tell me, with your enlightened mind, how going through a past life would mean you have no free will in the next life. Even if it were true (which I think is a crock o shit), all it would mean is you simply have more experiences to draw from, to make better decisions.

your statement:
"yes God has us make our own choices, but in the end there is only one choice to make. that is not free will."
makes absolutely no sense. how would god have us make our own choices, but give us only one choice to make? if there's only one way to go, you never had a choice in the first place! you're getting a little too caught up in your own psycho babble here bud, and not thinking about how simple this really is.

I havent read this whole thread, but I didnt interprate Cupcake saying that he has had multiple lives, but rather a continuous spirit, which is well within the Christian belief system. We were a soul in heaven before we were sent to earth in physical form. Then again, like I said, I havent been reading all of this thread.