According to atheists, there is no God, so every thing in this universe is subjected to "obligatory" physical laws .. and since our brains are parts of this world, they are subjected to these laws as well, for example the chemical reaction going on in our brains.
So to make it short:
- Is there anything in this word that is not subjected it's physical laws?
- How can we say we have free will if we are just only obeying the laws?
2007-11-03 07:11:06 · 26 answers · asked by Kimo 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
God gave us souls .. sould control our brains >>> free will
2007-11-03 07:19:46 · update #1
So atheists don't believe in free will? umm interesting.
2007-11-03 07:21:38 · update #2
Correct, free will is only an illusion.
The mind is merely the neurological action in the brain, and this is governed by laws of physics in the form of bioelectrochemistry.
2007-11-03 07:17:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You're over-simplifying.
Firstly: everything is subject to physical laws (people can't breathe water, rocks don't breate at all, penguins can't fly, etc.). We just don't know all of the laws yet.
To answer your second question: there are many parts of physics that aren't understood, especially when applied to the human brain.
Why do we have compassion? There are chemicals in our brains that allow us to feel empathy, love, hate, rate, pain, all of the things that make us human. Because we have intelligence, we are able to control these feelings in order to function as well as to be for the most part "good people" which most of us try to be regardless of religion.
That's the beauty of science. We can continue to learn about the things that on the surface don't make sense. This, of course, is opposed to just saying a superior being must have "dunnit" and not trying to figure out the mysteries of, well, everything on our own.
Tony C, do you even KNOW any atheists?
2007-11-03 07:38:06 · answer #2 · answered by Quaoar Rocks! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
- Is there anything in this word that is not subjected it's physical laws?
No.
- How can we say we have free will if we are just only obeying the laws?
We are obeying the laws. We merely have chemical reactions going on in our brains - nothing supernatural or metaphysical about that.
2007-11-03 07:16:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
well let me back you up Mr. Kimo.
the brain uses electrical waves to transmit signals but uses chemical messengers (like serotonie, dopamine) to regulate and relay the signals.
Is a value only within the mind of a person, or exists independently of the person? When you´re in love, is the person really valuable independeantly of what you think?
Yes, the brain is like a teribly complex computer, but it is designed to preceive and respond to reality. Love, is a reality preceived by the brain. It is an INTERNAL reality. Your mind can choose to register this internal reality or ignore it, just as you can choose to close your eyes and ignore the world around you - free will. You can choose to participate in "value-discernment" or you can choose to stay out.
ps. psychiatrist deal with an external reality that you can touch, smell, taste, measure, caculate (telling you how to survive in life) and an internal reality that you can´t measure, is ambigous, subjective, preceived through "introspection" (telling you WHY to survive). Perception of both are necesary for mental health, distinguishing humans from animals.
2007-11-03 08:55:21 · answer #4 · answered by the good guy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This question has been debated by philosphers, theist, and many more. Depending on how you ask the question and define the meaning changes the outcome for the answer. Many dig deep to try and find the core of this word which usually ends up applying it to areas it should not apply to.
Since it is not a black or white quesiton the answer for me is that in some cases freewill applies and in other things it does not.
2007-11-03 07:52:30 · answer #5 · answered by TTC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what a crock of crap....why don't you go ask my cat that question? my cat doesn't believe in God, but he is born with survival instincts so he can further his speices. We are no different than all the other animals on this planet. We are born, we are cared for, we learn how to survive, and we reproduce, and then we die. Free will comes with the ability to move your feet to walk, or breathe in and out. If we didn't have free will to make our own decisions, then we would all be blobs that just sit with no purpose. Every living thing on this planet has a purpose. No one get's out alive either.
Everything on this planet is subject to the laws governing this planet. NOT RELIGIOUS LAWS either. Those are all man made and they are crap.
We have free will, we always have had free will. People use "God" as a patsy, to fight over, to use as an excuse for good and bad behavior alike. Religion is crap...creationists are idiots....this world is headed for disaster.....
2007-11-03 07:27:39 · answer #6 · answered by Mysteri O 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
There is a difference between a law of nature and laws of "god"
Every human is subject to the law of gravity for example, that has nothing to do with your free will.
2007-11-03 07:16:33 · answer #7 · answered by Burns Baby Burns 3 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Those physical laws are in place whether or not there is a God. I'm not sure physical laws have anything to do with "free will" at all.
For instance, I can't fly by flapping my arms. That's not because I lack free will; it's because I'm constrained by physical laws.
2007-11-03 07:31:35 · answer #8 · answered by Let Me Think 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The ability to decide between right and wrong is a matter of ones ethical viewpoint and since we don't share the same viewpoint makes the decision toward an atheist view not on a faith based concept.
2007-11-03 07:18:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Complexity theory accounts for free will. That is, the idea that an error beneath the limits of measurability in one of the input parameters of a system could result in a completely different output.
When you have such a system, you can only analyse it probabilistically.
2007-11-03 07:36:44 · answer #10 · answered by sparky_dy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋