for questions concerning the freedom of choice of rational agents (often as opposed to determinism)
4
votes
1answer
88 views
Are your actions for every type of determinism determined before your birth?
We had this little discussion in class. Are your actions for every type of determinism determined before your birth? We're discussing traditional theories, so Quantum Mechanics aren't relevant (yet).
...
4
votes
8answers
262 views
Does punishment from god contradict the idea of free will?
In various religions it is often preached that god has given humans free will. But at the same time those religions preach that there is punishment for sinning.
Assuming a god does exist, and god ...
1
vote
5answers
165 views
Why do we uphold the concept of “morality”? [closed]
Why do we need morality? What purpose does the concept serve?
-4
votes
0answers
22 views
What is purpose of life and knowledge? [closed]
What is purpose of life when someone die when he/she is still an sperm, the other one die when he/she is still children, another one die by car crash or bombing attack in war or terror,
What is ...
-3
votes
1answer
58 views
Does a higher level of education result in a stronger believe in determinism and a decrease of free-will? [closed]
As classic education is mostly the study of cause and effects, does it affect the subconscious in the long run to adopt a stronger believe in determinism in comparison to less educated people? Does it ...
3
votes
6answers
200 views
Are we actually in control of what we want?
Are we really in control of what we want? What might be the most significant philosophical theories or works discussing this problem?
0
votes
0answers
91 views
Can you spot any fallacies in my compatibilist view and has any other philosopher proposed a similar one? [closed]
I just posted in this article (content is below) the best way I can explain what I've thought about free will for a long time. I've read some compatibilist views but never found one close to this one ...
5
votes
1answer
206 views
What did Acton mean by saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely”?
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton said that
"[p]ower tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
What did he mean by this? How might power compel evil or restrict free will?
8
votes
3answers
255 views
How can free will in compatibilism be proven?
Having very recently started getting interested in philosophy, I'm still halfway through my first book (Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy, by Simon Blackburn, as recommended in this ...
3
votes
4answers
164 views
Free will problem
First of all I would like to state that I have nothing to do with philosophy, I might even be totally new to the field. So far I had my own thoughts about life and how things work, mentally mostly. ...
1
vote
2answers
69 views
Is difference between 'free will' and 'imaginary obligation' purely connotational?
Consider the concepts of 'free will' and 'imaginary obligation'. Under certain circumstances they seem hard to differentiate (i.e. somebody 'really wants' to relisten a track of music, or perhaps it ...
6
votes
2answers
199 views
Moral responsibility without free will
Are there any theories of moral responsibility that don't require free will?
Sam Harris rejects the notion of free will and attempts to construct some form of moral calculus, but "The Moral ...
1
vote
3answers
120 views
The problem is choice, (paradox) Or is enhancing choice the solution to increasing free will [closed]
While reading Incognito by David Eagleman, there was a chapter about justice and the neural plasticity of the brain. The ability (or in some cases inability) to regulate "moral" functioning. The legal ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
What does Sartre mean when he says people are “condemned to be free”?
What did Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he said that because there is no creator, humans are "Condemned to be Free"?
7
votes
5answers
327 views
Does compatibilism imply that a chess program has free will?
I am puzzled by compatibilism and am trying to understand what it means using a test example. Given that a typical chess program generates several choices, evaluates them with a goal of winning and ...
0
votes
2answers
157 views
Can the Universe be deterministic and still allow free will? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the difference between free-will and randomness and or non-determinism?
Is free will reconcilable with a purely physical world?
As asked in the title, can a ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Are our desires driven by destiny?
Could there be a possibility that everyone has a destiny pre-written and their desires are just driven by that destiny? And the concept of free will is just a blindfold with limited options. No ...
3
votes
2answers
178 views
The Emperor's New Mind and Free Will
A good few years ago I read The Emperor's New Mind by Roger Penrose. Having recently read some philosopy primers I was wondering about the links between this book and the question of free will.
From ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views
Autonomy in medical ethics without free will
In ethics, autonomy is the right of an individual to make an un-coerced decision. While studying this, I often find myself thinking of free will. If free will does not exist, how would this affect the ...
4
votes
10answers
430 views
Does the notion of an all-powerful God conflict with the idea of free will?
In Abrahamic religions, God is often believed to be wholly omnipotent. People also seem to believe that humans have "free will", esp. insofar that they feel they are in control of their own actions. ...
6
votes
4answers
272 views
What is morally wrong about altering someone's behavior using psychological conditioning techniques?
I am reading the novel A Clockwork Orange. The priest is very angry at the behavior-altering technique being used on criminals to make them "good" and feels as though it is not right to take away free ...
9
votes
5answers
465 views
Is free will reconcilable with a purely physical world?
Many are of the opinion that there is no metaphysical world beyond the material that we can sense, and that everything is therefore governed by physical cause and effect (some believe that we cannot ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
In which way does quantum mechanics disprove determinism?
I've heard this pop up in a discussion with my physicist/engineer roommates, but didn't care to ask at the time. Now I'm mighty curious about it. Wikipedia doesn't really seem to say much on this ...
12
votes
6answers
719 views
What is the difference between free-will and randomness and or non-determinism?
In relation to the question "What are the necessary conditions for an action to be regarded as a free choice?", it came up that one way to insure the possibility of free-will was to have more than one ...
15
votes
8answers
625 views
What are the necessary conditions for an action to be regarded as a free choice?
A common philosophical question revolves around the existence of free will, but what I've found is that these debates seem to gloss over the concept of "free will" itself, either taking it as a given ...
5
votes
2answers
312 views
Free Will Theorem
Has the Free Will Theorem of Conway and Kochen been taken seriously by the philosophical community; is compatibilism still considered a valid approach to free will?
15
votes
1answer
2k views
How does Nietzsche define and characterize “freedom” throughout his works?
My basic question concerns the meaning of freedom in Nietzsche's work. Nietzsche suggests that, in reality, a will can never be absolutely "free" or "unfree"—rather, any particular will is going ...
