- - - - - - - -> It does my head in.
- - - -> But I really enjoy it.
-> My position paper is on Free will.
- - - - - - -> If everything has a cause, then how can we be free?
First allow me to clarify some things.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Freedom
I guess the pertinent definition would be 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc... As far as free will is concerned, anyway. If you're interested in a more 'philosophical' definition, go here.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/
How is this relevant to question number one?? Allow me to explain. You're sitting there, drinking your cup of Joe and thinking "Pshhhhh of COURSE I'm free." You lift the cup to your lips and take a sip... Wait!! You have no choice BUT to take a sip of that delicious coffee. Your actions are nothing but a product of your genetics and your environment.
You were born human, and your environment thus far (both the aspects you experience consciously and subconsciously) has dictated who you are. The way your parents' chromosomes synapsed, and how you tend to stand with your weight more on one leg (the left; incidentally, it places quite a bit more strain on the neck of your femur, and makes the right leg weaker, according to Wolff's law, also, you hadn't noticed, but I digress) have played a part in shaping who you are as a person, and as a human structure.
All that being the case, you had no choice but to take a sip.
"Fine, I won't then." You say. But now you're just trying to prove me wrong.
Go on, take a sip.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The basic premise behind this argument is very solid, as long as you're not referring to quantum physics. Seriously, don't even go there.
Roll a pair of die. Totally random outcome, right? Well, what if you could take into account windspeed, humidity, the coriolis effect of the Earth (And keep an eye on the flags for a drop in the wind... Sorry, just had a CoD4 flashback, of Pripyat...), everything that can affect the way the dice leave your hand, the way they bounce and where they stop. Then you'll know the results right?
(Yes you will)
Take a sip.
The thing is that your thoughts are events too. Neurons are transmitting electrical signals in your brain, and your brain is interpreting them. Your brain grew and the neurons connected as a result of your genetics and environment (I can't stress this point enough, it's central to what I'll be saying in my position paper, you see). As such, the way these neurons fire is a result of your genetics and environment, and as such, they are caused, and not necessarily by you.
That there is determinism in a nutshell.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Now here I am with an interesting conundrum; I started writing this a couple of weeks ago. I haven't had time to do more because of my position paper, which I handed in about 24 hours ago, so do I just post that?? Naaaah, I'll finish this.
Anyway, here's my rebuttal of Determinism, given that I believe in free will.
Self awareness.
Allow me to explain a lil bit.
Basically it's like this; while the events that shape your life are going to shape the way you think and the way you behave, you also have the ability to evaluate yourself, and think "Hmmmm why do I do this..."
When you think about it, your awareness of yourself is like a lens; through it, you can see how you act and how that affects other people; how your environment shapes you and how you shape it. It doesn't actively change your environment, but it certainly changes the way you interpret it. While your environment shapes you, to a certain extent, you choose how it shapes you!!
Wheee that means we're free right??
Does it?
Doesn't your environment and genetic makeup also shape the way in which your mind is structured? And what about this self awareness thing? When are you gonna be all pensive and introspective? It's fair to assume that (dun dun dunnn...) your introspection was caused by an event or a conversation (which is a type of event).
It pushes the problem back one more step. Ever see those old pictures, where the world sits on top of four elephants on top of a giant turtle? Well, what if you found out that the giant turtle rested on top of... Another four (larger) elephants which are on top of an even bigger turtle.
Yeah, that's what I mean when I say "Pushes the problem back one more step."
Well, In my opinion, the answer to this is "Nope, this means we have free will."
You see, while our mind is a product of determinism, as is our self awareness and the ability to interpret our environment, it is still a tool under our dominion. The fact that external influences exert some control over this dominion, doesn't remove this dominion from us.
That there is my conclusion, minus the 'Academic Erudition.
"Yeah but, it's still caused by determinism."
Seriously, as far as I'm concerned, that's the equivalent of this...
Hasta Luego
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