The only two factors that affect your decisions:
- Your genetic makeup
- Your upbringing and life experiences
(Unless you think there's a magical third factor)
You CAN'T change either.
You can say "I can do what I want" that's why it's such a convincing illusion... How can decisions be uncaused, are they random than?
People will never see the philosophical side of it never mind the physics part (Determinism).
2007-11-26 06:35:10 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Its a complete illusion, sadly I don't think Christians are capable of thinking as far as me and you...
They will never understand us, really they must be intellectually inferior.. they must be
FREE WILL is NOT logical, it's a superstition implying things that defy physics... can't people think for themselves..
2007-11-26 06:38:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Human beings, as well as animals and inanimate events have the ability to break the chains of strict causality postulated by Determinism. We are thus free to influence our affairs and our destiny.
In changing our future from what it would have been without the interaction triggered by our free will, we are changing the very universe of which we are an integral part. With the intervention of free will, our future, and thus the future of the universe, will follow a path different from the path it would have pursued without our intervention.
In addition to scientific considerations, common sense insists that Free Will exists. Who would deny that we have Free Will when we put one foot in front of the other and decide, of our own volition, of our own Free Will, to go for a walk or not go for a walk?
It is clearly irrational to believe that a chain of causality at the time of the Big Bang determines if we go for a walk this afternoon, or not. Your example of genetic makeup and life experiences limit the choices in the short term and are bound by natural causes (or limitations, if you will, eg, we can't defy the law of gravity), but in the long term, our choices have tremendous impact on the course of events.
2007-11-26 23:23:20 · answer #2 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Quantum Physics" provides the "magical third factor" that you are so desperate to deny.
If you understand the theory of "sum over history" particle/wave theory, you know that multiple paths exist between two points, and you cannot say for sure what path a particle will take between two points - only what it's most probable path was.
If thoughts are nothing more than electrical impulses following paths in the brain, then at the quantum level, you cannot guarantee that certain stimuli result in definitive paths, only that they probably will.
Given that your thought processes are not governed by the classical laws of physics but by the quantum laws, you cannot deny that decision making then contains your "magical third factor."
Determinism is a myth which denies quantum effects.
2007-11-26 15:02:01 · answer #3 · answered by jbtascam 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing is free...
You have a conscious and subconscious decision based on the two factors you described.
The decision is made and whatever course cannot be reversed.
The free will is not the decision to be made but the willingness to walk a path with consequences or rewards.
2007-11-26 15:13:02 · answer #4 · answered by berns63 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you still have a choice. are you going to sit there and tell me that someone in our society has "rape" as part of their upbringing and genetic makeup? people, and by people i mean monsters, still preform horrible acts. you can always choose, your upbringing is factored into your calculations but you don't have to use the answer they give you. my upbringing tells me that i should do my homework now so i'm not stressing out later, but i'm still going to wait till the last minute to do it. your genetics and your upbringing give you a lot but it's your desires that truly dictate what you choose. and even then you can choose to listen to your morals over your desires. if you don't have free will it's not because you can't, it's because you have limited perspective. you have free will! you are nothing but will! you just have to use it! i can sit here and answer questions all day and go to school tomorrow without homework against my morals but aligned with my desires.
i have will, you have will, you just have to use it!!!!!!!
2007-11-26 15:34:08 · answer #5 · answered by Ossren 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Genetic makeup and life experiences do not constitute a will. They have no volition. They might shape your worldview, but the will to act or not act is still yours. I might get pissed off in a situation because my genetics and upbringing dictate a certain stimulus is going to piss me off. I may have little control over that emotion, as described by your analogy. But whether to act on my emotion and take revenge or to swallow my anger is a matter of will.
2007-11-26 14:47:39 · answer #6 · answered by David Carrington Jr. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, that's the big deal! You know, I was thinking about that all day round and I couldn't reach a logical explanation. But I think it's definitely worth trying!
2007-11-26 15:46:03 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only way free will can work, in my opinion, is if there were no laws and statutes to penalize us for our actions. All laws, not just legal.
2007-11-26 14:48:26 · answer #8 · answered by Califiyah 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is only "The WILL"! What everyone calls free-will is merely the choice to know the Will or not!
2007-11-26 15:06:05 · answer #9 · answered by Premaholic 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋