I've been reading about this and several of the thinkers who were determinists struggled with depression and existential crises because they thought determinism rendered their lives impotent and purposeless. In my experience as well, in college classrooms or conversations where this debate comes up, the people who lean more towards determinism don't seem as happy as those who lean towards free will. However, I often find that determinists are better at logically defending their position than the free will people. Do you think this is a common thing? Do you think determism is just too depressing for many people to believe in?
2007-03-07 06:13:58 · 11 answers · asked by Subconsciousless 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Happy Kid
I tried reading satre, but I found his writing to be incomprehensible.
2007-03-07 06:33:49 · update #1
It also fails the internal perception. We feel as if we are making choices, so to reach a conclusion that this is an illusion requires a bit of mental high jinks.
However, logically it makes sense that Free Will is an illusion.
2007-03-07 06:18:07 · answer #1 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Free will is in the philosophical sense is not free will in the theological sense. If by determinism you mean foreknowledge and predestination, our reaction to it should be one of thankfulness and joy rather than depression and pessimism about "losing" what should not be desired in the first place. Adam's sin brought the fall of the entire human race, and lost for all of mankind the ability to look to God for salvation, i.e. will his own belief in God. No one seeks him, therefore a loving God must do the work in bringing his own unto himself. If we believe we do have the ability, then free will brings up a dilemma of a weak God that bends to our will, rather than our bending to his.
I can't give man that kind of prerogative in salvation. It is free will that should be looked at in a negative light rather than the positive one that propagates throughout R & S in both the questions and answers given.
2007-03-07 18:30:04 · answer #2 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is entirely dependent on a time paradox...
Essentially, we have free will as long as no viewer can exist outside of our time-space continuance, or if no one is watching and has the ability to travel backwards. If a viewer can travel backwards, we no longer have free will because the outcome is know, and the viewer can be watching the moment of decision... if there is no viewer, then we have free will, because there is no reference frame for determinism. If no one is watching, then time is linear, and therefore relative but conducive to free will.
Thus, free will and god cannot coexist unless god adhears to our rules of time (which would make him non-omnipotent and thus not god)
2007-03-07 14:17:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not an answer to your question, but still relevant. I saw this on Discovery channel. Two identical (genetically) twins who were separated and grew up in America and Germany respectively had totally different political ideology. Decades later when they met at the airport, they were dressed identically.
2007-03-07 14:34:43 · answer #4 · answered by paddy f 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I believe in free will because I know that I am given it. The best thing we can know in life, even not related to religion is that we have choices...that we are responsible for the choices we make and must pay the consequences, good or bad. I have never believed life was predetermined. I am a Christian. *WG
2007-03-07 14:18:37 · answer #5 · answered by Wiggles 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If I go to the icecream shop, can't I choose between chocolate or vanilla? How am I determined then?
You may want to read Sarte to get the free-will side logically.
2007-03-07 14:18:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Probably. I realize that determinism is most likely the case and it doesn't bother me one bit. I find it fascinating. Most people seem to be bothered by the idea though.
2007-03-07 14:23:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As far as I can see it doesn't make any difference - It *feels* like we have free will even if we do not, so there's not really anything to be depressed about.
2007-03-07 14:16:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that our situation and life experiences are probably the deciding factor in what choices we make, so while we can pay lip service to free will, we don't truly have it in the purest sense.
2007-03-07 14:19:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My will is to do the work of the father.
2007-03-07 14:17:54 · answer #10 · answered by Tribble Macher 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋