Do you believe in Free Will?

6 replies
I posted a long essay on why I think a belief in free will requires a belief in God or some other metaphysical power, but I'm too lazy to post it here right now.

But someone replied with a link to this video that explains very well why the idea of free will is an illusion and I tend to agree with him. Here is the video:

Here is an excerpt from his book on free will:

I think it's pretty interesting. I'm agnostic/atheist btw and don't really believe in God. And I think this Sam Harris guy is a strong atheist.
#free
  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    that is a lot to watch right now and i might..

    my view of free will is that you don't really have free will in choices from moment to moment because those are dictated by the beliefs you have and your condition response to stimulation .

    where you have free will is when you take control and re write the beliefs and recondition your responses to events .

    if you can't not eat cookies cakes and the whole half gallon of ice cream ..when you are shopping ..don't buy them
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    7 minutes into the second video and the academic tail chasing is hard to follow .

    on one hand we agree in the moment we do not use free will .. that there are a lot of random veriables and conditions responses .. that go into the choices we have right then .

    but we can use our free will to recondition our responses and even effect the random stimuli .
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  • Profile picture of the author smodha
    I believe in Free Will. I believe in cause and effect (Karma).

    Every action has a reaction. That is the way the universe works.
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  • Profile picture of the author Diversion52
    Free will is an option that most of us disregard and forget for the sake of certainty and security.
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    • Profile picture of the author smodha
      Originally Posted by Diversion52 View Post

      Free will is an option that most of us disregard and forget for the sake of certainty and security.
      Great point.

      I also think "destiny" is an excuse like "I failed because that was my destiny". It becomes a safety net, a "get out jail free card".

      Nothing winds me up more then "I was destined to fail". It's like you've made up your mind before even starting.
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    • Profile picture of the author natsnumbers
      Originally Posted by Diversion52 View Post

      Free will is an option that most of us disregard and forget for the sake of certainty and security.
      I completely agree.

      Some completely prostitute themselves and their power for determinism (in fact, most people in my field do).

      While others free float and wander in free will.

      I see it like this: we have unlimited choices and potentials (free will) within a frame-worked reality (determinism).

      That reality is determined by and based on your beliefs. And that is a whole other discussion...
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