are you determinist? indeterminist? do you go for compatibilism? other ideas?
all other denominations: feel free to join in, but I'm mainly interested in the atheist perspective on this.
2007-02-07 08:28:42 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Ahh...the free will question. Been watching the Matrix movies lately, eh? Are we just biological machines with our "choices" simply a function of underlying programming? Here's a mind-blowing question: Does the answer makes a damn bit of difference? I suppose in theology, it matters whether or not you can be held responsible for your beliefs (e.g., did we choose to reject divine belief or were we predestined to reject it?). Still, does the answer matter? You can nail belief in divine judgement either way, I think. Still, it's a fun question to toss around.
My gut belief is in pure determinism. I think we are an immensely, indescribably complex mix of genes and experiences, with a limited and often faulty organic computer that tries to reconcile this whole experience. The "choices" we make are usually based on cognition (except when they are compulsion and habit), but the cognition itself is a product of genetics and experience (nature and nurture, if you will).
See, free-will fails for me because I doubt that people can truly control their own thoughts. Thought is a chaotic deterministic process (chaos theory springs from determinism, actually...if you don't believe me, start another string). We talk about disciplined minds, but really that discipline is a choice based on pre-determined dispositions. I'd like to take credit for this clever answer ;-) , but in all honesty, I was driven to this frame of mind out of a regular childhood reward system for intellectual thought and a sudden bulk of free time in my day to sit here and masturbate with my mind. I'm not sure choice really had anything to do with it.
So, when you're talking in free will of thoughts, consider a slot-machine or some other random-number generator. Those corporeal machines depend on the timing and slight variations of forces or electrons, but no sensible scientist would say that the laws of physics have taken a smoking break. Cause and effect still exists, it's just that the variables are too complex to predict the outcome with 100% certainty. Our minds are the exact same way.
Still, if we think we have free will, it doesn't change the fact that we still have to make choices...even if we think we aren't.
Thanks for the question! BTW, I'm really agnostic, and that's why I say it's my gut answer. Intellectually speaking, I don't think I can really know for sure. ;-)
2007-02-09 05:54:29 · answer #1 · answered by fluvial_shell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will does not exist. It's an illusion. I'm a determinist. Your choices are determined by previous brain states along with sensory input. There might be some quantum randomness which would result in different states of the universe coming from the same initial state, but that still means there is no free will.
2007-02-07 08:45:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If there is no free will, then people are sure wasting a lot of money going to psychiatrists for treatment!
I find it odd that many atheists here seem to argue that free will is an illusion, but then I've seen these these same avatars spend so much time on the R&S section trying to convince everyone else that theism is "wrong". If there is no free will, then how can anyone change their beliefs?
2007-02-07 09:13:36 · answer #3 · answered by Randy G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Determinist
All events are the results of sufficient causes necessary to produce them. Things don't just happen. There is always an antecedent. We humans just don't have the ability to understand all the antecedents that lead to events, so we fill in the X's in the equation with the concept of free-will. Without this concept, however illusory, we could not function because we'd be too lethargic and depressed about how ignorant and impotent we are.
2007-02-07 08:41:51 · answer #4 · answered by Subconsciousless 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The term "freewill" implies that individual actions can or may be controlled by some outside force.
If you are talking about tangible and provable influences, then perhaps. Everyone is susceptible to suggestion or peer, social, physical and emotional pressure, but beyond that, no. Everything we do is predicated on survival and propagation, and it is only limited by our capacity to think.
If you are talking about "supernatural" things, then you're barking up the wrong tree or just plain barking.
.
2007-02-07 08:38:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Determinist.
Church-Turing Thesis conclusively invalidates the free will hypothesis in the universe in which we find ourselves in. There is no room to debate this conclusion any more than to debate that 1+1 is in fact, equal to 2.
2007-02-07 09:23:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe the universe is inherently deterministic, but we lack the capabilities of measure it without disturbing it (Heisenberg).
So from our prospective it looks deterministic (free-will), but in reality there is no real free-will.
2007-02-07 08:35:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
i never understood why that's an issue, i think and act according to my decisions, so i guess i believe in free will. if there is no god then of course we make our own destinies, certain things are out of our control, but most of our actions we choose to do consciously.
2007-02-07 08:38:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm so atheist, i dont even have an opinion on free will, I just keep on living....l i v i n.
You just got atheist served!
2007-02-07 08:36:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
atheists have free will the people in the religions do not have free will the churches tell them how to think and how live and how to die
2007-02-07 08:38:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋