What is free will?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by fess, Jan 30, 2019.

  1. fess Registered Senior Member

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    any choice you make has reason for it. The brain is a physical organ that runs a physical process and decisions are made as a result of that process. To Exercise free will you would need to do something for absolutely no reason. That's impossible. If you come to a fork in the road, there will always be a reason you take one or the other. That pre-existing reason for your choice negates the idea of free will.
     
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  3. river

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    Disagree

    The essence of free-will is the freedom , hence the ability to question .
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2019
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  5. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    This has been beaten to death in other threads. Please read them, and if you still want to go down this road afterwards you can get a better start.
     
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  7. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    When confronted with an infinite volume of space and asked where the center is, the only answer can be;
    "Any where you want (determine) it to be"
    Now ...that is freedom!
     
  8. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Hi fess... not sure youv'e thout this thru... but... you an i make choices all the time for no reason so we obvously have free will... an besides... our brain is very very complex which leads to chaos whare free will prolly occurs... that... an quantum mechanics.!!!

    An besides... if free will didnt exist people woud try to escape responsibility for ther actions an that woud lead to lots of crime an prisons woud be full to the brim.!!!

    HTH
     
  9. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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  10. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    Of course. The whole idea of free will depends on that being true. The vital difference between free will and epileptic seizures is that with free will, our psychological process is what controls (or is a big part of what controls) our behavior. With free will, our behavior is intentional and motivated.

    Yes, I agree with that.

    No,no,no,no. I disagree very strongly with that.

    I think that it's a fundamental mistake to assume that free will somehow requires what Patricia Churchland called a "causal vacuum". Free will isn't behavior that occurs without a cause, it's behavior that has a particular kind of cause. Namely behavior that's the result or our own motives, understanding and decision processes. All of these can and probably do have neurological correlates.
     
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  11. ForrestDean Registered Senior Member

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    We can’t help but have free will. Paradox: We have no choice but to have a choice.
     
  12. TheFrogger Banned Valued Senior Member

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    Hi there!

    Free-will does not exist. If something WILL (this will, that will) then that is determined by definition.

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    The only way you can conclusively state what WILL, is if you can see the future, which would still mean a deterministic state.

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  13. river

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    Free-will becomes when instinct does not control thought .
     
  14. fess Registered Senior Member

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    If they have neuological correlates they are physical processes. Physical process have causes. All actions in the macro world can be traced back in a causal chain. All your decisions have a causal chain . You did not control everything in that chain. You had no say in your actions.
     
  15. TheFrogger Banned Valued Senior Member

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    Hi there fess. I disagree. People have control over their actions and choices, but this is not a choice of, "will", which is always determined. It is something else.
     
  16. fess Registered Senior Member

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    You have no choices. You don't decide what your thoughts are going to be.....you just have them. You don't choose your needs and motivations, they're just there. When you come to a fork in the road, there is always a reason why you choose one over the other
     
  17. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    I am free to change my mind at the last instant which makes my choice free.!!!
     
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  18. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    So you are faced with the task of placing a white dot using a pen on a white sheet of A4 paper. How is your choice as to where to place that dot not free?
     
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  19. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    You could choose to flip a coin.
     
  20. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Which cereal did you choose for breakfast... an was you forced to make that choice... no... you'r MIND freely chose an YOU ate the cereal it chose... see... free will occurs in the brain.!!!
     
  21. candy Valued Senior Member

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    It also makes the future unpredictable.
    Master Yoda pointed out that the future was difficult because it was always changing.
     
  22. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Absolutely… an once chaos (whare free will originates) kicks in... nuthin is predictable which demonstrates that all choices are free choices.!!!
     
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  23. C C Consular Corps - "the backbone of diplomacy" Valued Senior Member

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    Yah. The whole point of will is the system operating autonomously as it should and being free of having its behavior hijacked by outsiders like randomness and felons with guns.

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