does one cause inevitably lead to a corresponding event? Do we just think we are in control when we are truely subject to whatever chemical reactions in our brains make us think or do?
2007-05-07 15:12:04 · 14 answers · asked by Trevyn 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
It's delusional to think that whether you decide to take a walk this afternoon or not was determined a millisecond after the big bang.....makes no scientific sense, let alone common sense.
2007-05-10 07:47:39 · answer #1 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Free will exists as we all have the ability to make choices.
Our choices are governed by how we see reality.We will make choices based on our concept of reality or the situation requiring the choice.
Our vision of reality is based on our own perception , expereiences and what we can call a point of view. This vision is the illusion as it is our vision which we have created and may or may not be the same as viewed by others.
It works both ways as well as we can never fully understand why people make the choices they fo as we also use our vision of reality to try to explain their choice,
A simple example is a child choosing chocolate ice cream rather than vanilla. By ourselves, we will never know why the child chose chocolate We think it may be because the child likes the taste or color of one over the other or has had a bad experence with one before. The truth is we do not know unless we ask the child. Anything else is an illusion. In this situation the best thing to do is just to accept that the child chose chocolate and proceed from there.
2007-05-07 22:49:02 · answer #2 · answered by Ted K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was sexually abused as a child and then again as a teen by a so called boyfriend for months.
I went to a Christian school for a few months and confronted a teacher about why in the world God would LET something like that happen.
She explained to me that God gave us the gift of free will. We are not robots. We all choose to do our will and yes God could get involved and control us but He loves us.
Look at a parent teaching a child to ride a bike. At first they hold the back of the bike and support the child. Yet after a little the parent lets go some but still there to catch the child if they fall. The same way works with God.
So what about the VT shooting and 9/11?? I heard a wonderful quote on "Touched by an Angel". One of the angels was talking to a woman who was raped. The woman yelled at the angel asking, "Where was God when that man was hurting me? He could have stopped him but didn't did he just sit there an watch?" The angel answered, "God was there yes. But He was crying along with you. He hated what that man did but God gave us free will because He loves us and wants us to come to Him under our own will not His own."
2007-05-07 22:24:26 · answer #3 · answered by Faith 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its real in a sense, but your desires and goals are also in a way influenced by society. Example would be like getting married or raising a family. Are you doing it for yourself or did you grow up learning that is the correct way of doing something? Where is the free will in that? In the end you do make choices, but what factors are influencing those choices may not be up to you after all.
If you want to get deeper, you can look at the biological aspect, theres many examples of men willing to do anything for sex wether it is in thier best interest or not. So is it free-will to chase after a girl or is your body pushing you?
2007-05-07 22:32:23 · answer #4 · answered by Willy C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will exists for those who choose to exercise it.
It is possible to exist merely reacting to the world around you and being a product of your environment responsible for nothing. Numerous people exist in that way lending credibility to the illusion theory...
OR you can choose to take responsibility for your life, think & act instead of reacting, and transform your environment instead of being shaped by it.
One who merely observes the masses would be inclined to believe the former, yet one who has awakend from that state and tries to assist others in opening their eyes can not deny the latter.
2007-05-07 22:29:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"All that happens is contained in an original plan, yet at every stage the individual seems to be making choices and determining the outcome... Our members are practically always doing what they wants to do- what they "choose" to do - but we see to it that they will want to do precisely the things which are best for themselves and the community. Their behavior is determined, yet they are free."
We do what we want to do, we do what best fits our ideas of what is right or what is needed. We think we have free will, but our actions are still determined.
2007-05-07 22:37:27 · answer #6 · answered by mikzilla0 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a lot about free will that is illusion, but not all of it is so.
Not everything is decided. Our world is ruled by time and circumstance - random events.
If you're interested, there is a discussion about the error of predestination here:
http://bythebible.page.tl/Predestination-Debunked.htm
2007-05-08 06:17:24 · answer #7 · answered by Fuzzy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chemical actions are part of karma. your thought, desire and actions are the cause of your life circumstances and destiny. Yes free will is and illusion. there is but one will, Gods will, the thoughts that come to you will eventually cause you to awake to your unity with God in unconditional love. Then you will intuit and do Gods will. There is but one will, one life, and one power.
2007-05-07 22:24:35 · answer #8 · answered by Weldon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are degrees of free will. true and total free will would entail no instincts or autonomic functions. humans can't live like that. We are the most "free" animal that we know of so we can say we have free will.
2007-05-07 22:40:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I saw David Blaine make free will disappear in a Las Vegas parking lot one time.
2007-05-07 22:17:17 · answer #10 · answered by the slightly amusing answers of 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋