Hey Atheists!! Do you believe in "free will"??

Question

if not then do you think that our brains are "programmed by nature" (evolution, nat.selection) If so then do you hold people (you) accountable for hate crimes (Hitler) or is it just how we've evolved??? I assume that nature can't produce a "free-thinking" creature from its evolution, because its been shaped by its environment right???

Answer 1

Yes, I do believe in free will.

Moreso than Christians, for who the concept of "Free Will" doesn't seem to go much beyond choosing to do what they are told or spend an eternity in some mythological hell. Some freedom.

I believe that I am free to choose as I wish, provided I accept the consequences of my choices. To paraphrase Terry Pratchett "No definition of freedom is complete without the freedom to accept the consequences"

Evolution speaks purely to biology--it doesn't obviate a moral or social dimension to our decisions. If social and moral constraints are inseperable from evolution, then the Creationists have finally lost the argument hands down, since we have a long, unbroken record of how morals and societies have evolved over time that cannot be denied.

Answer 2

Obviously you haven't been involved in a lot of serious programming. But putting that aside, let's consider some lowly living thing whose "free will" you yourself would calll into question. In other words, I am supposing you don't attribute free will to too many beasts.

So suppose we have this mutt who keeps sneaking into the hen house to eat the eggs. (Bad doggie, but not quite Hitler.) When grandma found out, she cured it by (first) boiling some eggs and (second) force-feeding the eggs to the dog while they were darn hot. He never got near eggs again.

My point is that regardless of how "programmed" the dog is by nature, even old ****-head (that was his name) had enough congitive flexibility to LEARN.

If you're into programming it would be best to think of us as having the "operating system" software - not the "application" layer. This allows us to incorporate vast amounts of "instructions" from external sources, e.g., from a culture. We don't plop into the world with a language, or a religion, or even a morality as such - those are learned.

That being said, it is quite possible there were bio-physical reasons Hitler could not have been taught to be anything other than a monster. Another way to say it is he was incapable of absorbing human morality - and yes, the cause could certainly be "physical."

Since (most) non-believers have a morality, they agree society has to protect itself from those who do NOT have one.

Both things are true. You are "free-thinking" - to a point. And you are "programmed" - to a point.

Answer 3

Man, people are craby today. Someone asks a question, and instead of answering it with a logical answer, people call others names. Yeah, that's great. And to answer the question, that is exactly what many atheists believe. They just don't want you to know that because it makes them look bad, so instead they call people names.

Oh, and probably no one will read this, but oh well. Hitler was NOT a Christian, and if he claimed to be (which I would love to see someone give evidence for), he did not believe the same things as Christians. He wanted to kill Christians after he killed the Jews. And Bush is not leaning towards the Nazi party. That is a lie that I would love to see evidence for again. Think about it... He hasn't killed millions of innocent people. He does not want the government to be all powerful, and he doesn't want a master race. That's just a big lie.

Answer 4

Wow!!!! This is the dumbest argument that I have ever read. Congratulations. Wow.

Being an evolved creature and having free will are not mutually exclusive of each other. The environment that you are raised in (and maybe even the area that you are decended from) do have a lot to do with what you do with your life, but that doesn't prove evolution as well as it doesn't prove that there is a "god". Furthermore, free will in my opinion absolutely shows that there is no "god".

Answer 5

Random particles pop into our universe, and usually pop back out. This is the only thing I know of that keeps our universe from operating like a big "clock." Everything is subject to the laws of physics, and will happen according to them. The concept of free will is not clearly defined here, and people may not agree on what it is. You have free will, but you are part of the clock. There is a heirarchy of causal influence. Hitler turned out exactly how the universal laws intended him to be. He made the choices the clock caused him to make. Accountability is an unreal thing--it is a concept we invented and attempt to apply to the world around us. I do not believe in "eye for an eye" justice, because justice is similarly unreal. But we have the ability to stop others from continually disrupting this thing we want to do, called "society," and we do it. I think, morally, criminals should be locked up for life rather than killed, and definitely rather than tortured. Revenge-style justice is a concept that degrades our society.

Answer 6

Your question shows you to be a simpleton. It is unfortunate that this is your level of intelligence.. which is a culmination of evolutionary development (through the eons) which meant that you have the basic ability to type at a keyboard/do many of the things other humans take for granted. Unfortunately, due to a combination of social programming and the actual genes you inherited from your parents, you believe that evolution and free will are at odds with each other. Can you please go into detail with your evidence for this?

The evidence to the contrary is that evolution generated you, but you had the free will to post the question. You didn't have to make yourself look stupid, did you?

Answer 7

The question is moot. Whether we have free will or not, we must pretend that we do. How else can a society possibly function? If we assume that there is no free will, then how can we punish criminals or praise people who do good? If it was their genes and environment that made them do it, then we have no right to punish them. But that outlook cannot create a funcioning society. So whether there is such a thing as free will or not (I believe that there is, because I believe in Philotic Theory), we must act as if we all had free will.

Answer 8

im not an atheist but im not a christian either... it doesnt mean I think that hitler should not be held accountable for what he did, it has nothing to do with evolution. it has everything to do with your environment, because you are a product of your environment, if you had a terrible childhood or theres something wrong with you mentally than you are more then likely to be violent, abusive, etc...
we are all programmed by nature yes. but we also have free will and thats what seperates us from nature. As far as behaviors go we dont act much different than animals... intelligence is a key factor here the fact that we are free thinkers seperates us yes, but our behaviors are like the animals... procreation is what we are here for... to live and die... i could argue with you but im better than that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion...but that doesnt proove anything. just because you are insane doesnt have anything to do with free will... hitler was insane... even animals can be born with something mentally wrong with them.. whats your point?
ps. i only believe in logic, and what I find to be logically correct, everyone has different belief structures, I look at the facts and decide for myself... I have a lack of religion... I guess I have my own religion... I think religion is something used to keep people in fear and in line. Its used for control. Religions are evil, to many people have died for their religion and because of religion... so I dont believe in religion. You cant proove or disproove anything you can only have theories and choose to believe what you want to believe... and since when are christians considered to have free will and be free thinkers... if you were free thinkers you would look at all the possibilities with an open mind and if god wants to you to have free will so much, how come you are going to hell if you dont follow his rules? and be good little christians? even if you are christian what makes you think you are good enough to get into heaven. Only the most righteous are supposed to get into heaven... why worry about it ... i say enjoy your life. Dont kill or commit any crimes but have fun. because this is the only life we have and im not spending it as a mindless sheep following the herd

Answer 9

I don't know of any evolutionist that says that nature can't produce a free-thinking creature.

BTW, Hitler was a Christian. And his campaign against Jews was based on mythology and religion. This is why we atheists are working hard to eliminate such things from our politics. You do realize that the Bush administration is strikingly similar to the Nazi Party, yes?

Answer 10

Huh? Why do free will and evolution have to be exclusionary? Why is this only for Atheists? Do only Athiests believe in free will and evolution? Huh? Seriously, put your thoughts into some sort of order and back them up. It's too hard to guess what you are getting at and what you have been brainwashed with.