Is there free will?
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If you are religious then no as God has predetermined everything.
Is that true?
My catholocism is a little rusty, but IIRC, God knows all (and thus knows the decisions we will make, how our futures will go, etc etc), but not that he made those decisions for us as part of his grand plan.
It depends on the brand of Christianity that you follow. Calvinists generally believed in predestination.0 -
If you are religious then no as God has predetermined everything.
Is that true?
My catholocism is a little rusty, but IIRC, God knows all (and thus knows the decisions we will make, how our futures will go, etc etc), but not that he made those decisions for us as part of his grand plan.
It depends on the brand of Christianity that you follow. Calvinists generally believed in predestination.
lol. My wife won't let me get this...
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Nope.
Attorney packages usually include at least one meeting with the lawyer. The attorney then draws up your will according to your specifications. If you're requesting only a will, the minimum cost can run from $150 to $600, for an average cost of about $375.10 -
Free will is 1) the totality of your previous experiences, action-outcome results, analytical and emotional capacity, all confronted with 2) your needs and desires, starting from the very basic to the very high-level (such as self-actualization).
As such it is not „free” in the strictest sense. It is molded and conditioned by the above. It is molded and conditioned by religion as well, but it can be argued that religion is included in the above, as the need to justify / attribute meaning to chaos and chance, via an additional set of rules that apply based on your actions. I do not believe in religion as an institution and set of rituals, but I am not an atheist.
However, I also do not think that believing in a „higher power” means believing in the lack of free will. Take Christianity for example. It conveys that humankind actually started with an act of free will / succumbing to non-heavenly persuasion - which was taking the apple.5 -
I used to have this discussion with a good friend in college and we would go round and round about it. And this is only my opinion, but I think it depends on if you are religious or not. If you are religious then no as God has predetermined everything.
One group within Christianity believe everything is predestined. That is a stream within Protestantism but is not all of Protestantism and is not any of Catholicism.
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SabAteNine wrote: »As such it is not „free” in the strictest sense. It is molded and conditioned by the above
This runs with the "mouse in the maze" thought of free will, in that you can put a mouse in a maze and the mouse certainly has the ability to chose the direction it wants to go, but to what end can it go? It is a predefined space overa.
In that sense, based on the construct around us, we do not have free will because we are fully vested in the ecosystem we live. E.g. - we cannot make a decision beyond where, when, and how we exist.
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I find it curious that so many people feel that it is impossible to look at something objectively and believe that experience necessarily must inform a decision.2
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FeelinFooFoo wrote: »So, when people talk about 'destiny' is that basically another way of saying that they believe people don't have 'free will' ?
Or that they have free will but only to a certain extent? Surely anyone who believes in destiny.....must kinda think that their choices/desicions are already set? No? This is a good question.
I don't think they have to contradict each other.
I tell my boys I believe they are destined for great things. But I beleive that based on them making good choices in life and not that I think anything power in the universe has it set they will be something.0 -
Free will is an illusion = D0
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Heather_Norwood wrote: »Free will is an illusion = D
So is dreaming.....but if all you did was dream, wouldnt that be your reality?7 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
It is interesting that in classical terms, free will was more to do with the fortitude of a man to rise above social/economical/political constraints, which in itself inferes that living in such an enviornment would never allow true free will.0 -
Chael2dot0 wrote: »SabAteNine wrote: »As such it is not „free” in the strictest sense. It is molded and conditioned by the above
This runs with the "mouse in the maze" thought of free will, in that you can put a mouse in a maze and the mouse certainly has the ability to chose the direction it wants to go, but to what end can it go? It is a predefined space overa.
In that sense, based on the construct around us, we do not have free will because we are fully vested in the ecosystem we live. E.g. - we cannot make a decision beyond where, when, and how we exist.
We can make any decisions we want, within the confines of our own minds, context and resources. And this endowment may seem like a LOT, but objectively speaking, all three have their very concrete limits - much like those of the mouse in the maze.
And in the end, it may well be that we live in a simulation anyway
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I think all choices you make are predetermined by your genes and the experience you have had so far, therefore every choice could be predicted with a strong enough computer. Though there are so many factors involved i dont think it will ever be realistically possible to predetermine someones actions and as such im fine with not having free will.1
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To me, free will is consciousness. It is in this yearning for consciousness that we can cultivate our mind and body. Awareness breeds consciousness. I think the universe does a good enough job letting us know when we're screwing up. So if it's in our best interest to make decisions that don't inflict suffering on ourselves and onto others, then we must take time to cultivate our thoughts and ideas in such a way that it will lead to actions of peace and fulfillment. It all starts with awareness. 👁️ 🌐 🦄6
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andreascjonsson wrote: »I think all choices you make are predetermined by your genes and the experience you have had so far, therefore every choice could be predicted with a strong enough computer. Though there are so many factors involved i dont think it will ever be realistically possible to predetermine someones actions and as such im fine with not having free will.
Then why...do you persist?!3 -
Chael2dot0 wrote: »SabAteNine wrote: »As such it is not „free” in the strictest sense. It is molded and conditioned by the above
This runs with the "mouse in the maze" thought of free will, in that you can put a mouse in a maze and the mouse certainly has the ability to chose the direction it wants to go, but to what end can it go? It is a predefined space overa.
In that sense, based on the construct around us, we do not have free will because we are fully vested in the ecosystem we live. E.g. - we cannot make a decision beyond where, when, and how we exist.
Agreed. I believe we all have free will, within the constraints of a box. Practice can enlarge that box, but it's still a box.3 -
You guys just wrecked me.
From now on, I'm just gonna sit here at let crap happen to me...
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Chael2dot0 wrote: »
Damn it! You got me there.3
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