What do you guys think about free will? Is it real or an illusion? What is meant by free will? If at our most basic level we're just atoms interacting, how could a being that wills things exist?
If not, should we start a country that doesn't have the assumption of free will built into our legal system? Would there be prison?
Is free will a gradient? Some things have more than others? A white has more free will than a dog which has more free will than a black?
What do you think bros?
scientifically no
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/
>>79904628
>>79904472
also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience_of_free_will#Free_will_as_illusion
It's impossible. We're all slaves of fate.
>>79904628
That's really depressing
>>79905317
yeah, if i was a religious person i'd believe in faith. but as i got no religion i dunno what to believe. are we keep living the same life, is time circular or some shit? or are we just "living" in a mmorpg with our hologram bodies?
>>79905666
>>79905317
fate*
>>79904472
If I cut off your head and rape your ass. Then its not my fault.
>>79905666
We're just really complicated balls rolling down a hill
>>79905835
just because you're fated to be a piece of shit doesn't mean you're not still a piece of shit.
>>79905975
>>79905975
it's like watching a really engrossing movie. it's fine to get into it when things are fun or interesting, but when it gets tough just remember to take a step back mentally. The spiritual aspects of Buddhism may be bullshit, but meditation and mindfulness have clear ostensive benefits for coping with hard determinism.
if you're interested in the topic i recommend "Free Will" and "Waking Up" by Sam Harris
I didn't used to but I do now but man we're stupid with it. Thank God foresaw all our tragedy.
The reality is that free will only comes into play for few situations. Most people live their lives effectively on auto pilot, making reactionary decisions primarily based on bias, emotions, instincts, and logic. This determinism will manifest as decisions where the person knows what to do based on what they want or feel.
Free will manifests as decisions where it is not clear to the individual what the correct choice is. In these situations not even logic or knowledge is helpful and more often than not just highlights conflict. Free will is really the realm of morality and the highest level of self awareness.
It's better this way, as constant free will would drive most insane and really just create inefficiency. Most people don't need to go through a mid life crisis choosing what to have for dinner.
>>79906415
I guess I understand that, but it seems to me that im the future when I'm doing well I'll always think in the back of my mind that I'm not really responsible for anything I achieve. I suppose that mindset would be helpful if I was stuck in a rut, but I'll also have to deal with it when I'm loving life.
And it also bothers me that we talk about "stepping back." I get what you mean, but it feels like our language is based around me having a choice in that situation. It will either happen or it won't, and I'll just be a puppet reacting to my surroundings.
Feels pretty bad, maybe I will look into that meditation stuff. Or maybe I won't, I've got no choice.
>>79906981
The idea of free will has been so ubiquitous outside philosophy circles that our language has a hard time describing what it's like to be us without relying on it. One of the biggest misconceptions with determinism, from what I've seen, is that it somehow alleviates or negates responsibility. If a hurricane knocks down your house, the hurricane is still responsible. It doesn't need intentionality to be a proximate cause. The only reason we care about intentionality in the first place is because it's a good indicator of future behavior for sentient beings.
Instead of thinking of things in terms of choices, which is a bit of a biased term, think in terms of conditioning. Some conditioning is passive, like touching a hot stove and learning not to burn yourself. Other conditioning starts with a passive trigger and builds inside of you. If you wanted to start working out, for example, you would have to be affected by some cause that puts the idea in your mind in the first place. If the trigger is sufficiently motivating to you, it will start a chain reaction of learning, effort expenditure, etc. that culminates in reaching (or approaching) your goal.
>>79904472
>Free will is false
t. jewish "intellectual"
Trying to model free will without understanding consciousness is idiotic. How can we know if we make decisions freely, if we don't even know what exactly allows us to understand we make decisions in the first place?
