Determinism and Free Will examined

[Compassionist]

It is my observation that Free Will does not exist. I am a determinist or a causalitist. Everything is proceeding according to causality. Causality rules!

I also think that the dichotomy between Hard Determinism and Soft Determinism is false. There is only determinism. All things are determined by causality.

[Cathar1950]

I think free-will is largely uncoerced choice.
While I tend to think everything is determined but not predestined.
There is real novelty as each moment is new and new conditions are always present.
We can see much of the same going on with animals as they learn and make choices, do we say they have free-will?
Feed-back and response would be useless if it were not determined.

[ChaosBorders]

It is my observation that Free Will does not exist. I am a determinist or a causalitist. Everything is proceeding according to causality. Causality rules!

I also think that the dichotomy between Hard Determinism and Soft Determinism is false. There is only determinism. All things are determined by causality.

There's actually a thread on this in the science section if you would like to take a look and add your two cents to it.

But yes, I agree with you. OPs are supposed to have a debateable question asked though, per the forum rules, if I'm not greatly mistaken.

[0JesusFreak]

There both is and isn't free will.

The brain determines it all before we make an action but there exists a brief moment in which we decide "do I do this or not." In other words one cannot exist without the other.

There's actually a thread on this in the science section if you would like to take a look and add your two cents to it.

This might in that topic you said more than here.

[Miles]

There both is and isn't free will.

The brain determines it all before we make an action but there exists a brief moment in which we decide "do I do this or not."

And just why did you decide as you did? Either it was caused or it was absolutely random. If random, than you had no part in bringing it into existence. If it had a cause then it was determined by that cause.

[0JesusFreak]

I'm not certain but I think youmissed my point. Allow me to ellaborate with the use of a question.

Can you doubt?

If you can doubt then you have free will. This all goes along with the brain in a jar example. how do we know that we aren't just a brain in a jar being fed all of these images, even our decisions. Philosopher Descartes responds to free will in his famous Cogito: "I think, therefore I am." The one thought we have that is certain is doubt. If we doubt then we have the free will to go against what our brain tells us to do.

[Cathar1950]

There both is and isn't free will.

The brain determines it all before we make an action but there exists a brief moment in which we decide "do I do this or not."

And just why did you decide as you did? Either it was caused or it was absolutely random. If random, than you had no part in bringing it into existence. If it had a cause then it was determined by that cause.

Given little of what we do is even conscious as it is often reflex or learned responses it seems odd that such a big deal is made of free-will.

I would think beliefs are largely involuntary as they are based on what we know or understand.
Granted we can make choices or varied responses but they are hardly free and we don't usually think they come will-nilly.
Free-will might be better looked at as varied responses and why we respond the way we do with the empheses on why.

[0JesusFreak]

Given that i've lived my entire life with Tourrette's syndrome I like to believe that I have a good idea of what is and isn't reflex or impulse seeing as I live my life dealing with those reflexes and impulses my entire life. These neurons firing off in my head like rockets are these reflexes that you are talking about. I know they are there and I can try to fight them, but no matter how much of a fight I put up I will tic sooner or later. against all of my will power I can't change it. My thoughts and actions, tics aside, are my own I can choose to make make them or not. The struggle is the same as with my tics but the outcome is undetermined. My will has yet to take effect.

That being said, there are certain things which are already set in stone, such as the end of the world. It will happen exactly how God says it will, despite what we say and what we do. But if we had no free will then there is no reason for the Creation to continue because it exists for us and we exist to choose to love God because God chose to struggle for our love and affection even though He could have it with the precursor of a thought for without our conscious decision to love God that love is utterly meaningless.

[Miles]

I'm not certain but I think youmissed my point. Allow me to ellaborate with the use of a question.

Can you doubt?

If you can doubt then you have free will.

Sorry. but a simple declaration doesn't cut it. Gotta do better than this.

This all goes along with the brain in a jar example. how do we know that we aren't just a brain in a jar being fed all of these images, even our decisions.

Irrelevant.

Philosopher Descartes responds to free will in his famous Cogito: "I think, therefore I am."

Descartes' phrase addresses existence, not free will.

The one thought we have that is certain is doubt.

Hmm. I have seem to have many, many more.

If we doubt then we have the free will to go against what our brain tells us to do.

To reiterate: A simple declaration doesn't cut it. Gotta do better than this. Much better.

[0JesusFreak]

Let me pose another question.

How do you know, let me emphasize KNOW, that we don't have free will?