Reply to Re: Choices, options and freewill
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A random choice doesn't really appear to be "my choice" either.
Yeah, that's what I think too. If our actions are completely determined, we're prisoners to causality. If they're random (as in not causally determined), we're prisoners to chance. But still we have this concept of free will that seems to be different from either of those. So that tells me we need to define free will very carefully, more than I've seen in discussions like these. Some have proposed a notion of self-causation, but I don't think it makes sense. It seems to avoid the issue by playing with words. But I haven't explored it very far.
Understanding the brain would help the world in a lot of ways, so let's hope they can do it! That kind of knowledge could also be misused horribly, so let's hope the human race can restrain itself too. Those of us who pray should pray for that.
Yeah, that's what I think too. If our actions are completely determined, we're prisoners to causality. If they're random (as in not causally determined), we're prisoners to chance. But still we have this concept of free will that seems to be different from either of those. So that tells me we need to define free will very carefully, more than I've seen in discussions like these. Some have proposed a notion of self-causation, but I don't think it makes sense. It seems to avoid the issue by playing with words. But I haven't explored it very far.
Understanding the brain would help the world in a lot of ways, so let's hope they can do it! That kind of knowledge could also be misused horribly, so let's hope the human race can restrain itself too. Those of us who pray should pray for that.
