Re: The lot is cast ...

Adrian Teo (AdrianTeo@mailhost.net)
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 09:47:09 -0800

Chuck Noren wrote:
Adrian:
> >I struggle with that all the time in my discipline. I don't think free
> >will implies complete unpredictability since that would contradict our
> >nature as rational beings. But free will does necessary imply that in
> >spite of all previous experiences and events, we can choose something
> >completely unexpected. So it brings in some degree of unpredictability,
> >but for the most part, we tend to act in intelligible, coherent ways.
> >That's why I believe we can study human behavior, personality,
> >psychopathology and so forth.
>
> Interesting point. I think that true randomness is as much of a lack
> of freedom as anything else. This is where another component of
> free will is the ability to do what we desire to do. This form of freedom
> is what I think lies at the heart of freedom and is not incompatible
> to a universe that is "predetermined" in that it is known and even
> ordained by God.
>
> Your thoughts?

Again, it is only truly free if that desire/motivation is not influenced
by prior factors. There has to be a clean break somewhere in the causal
chain for true freedom to exist, and I guess different people will
locate that at different places. But even if I were to grant that the
desire is truly indepedent of prior influences, I am still hazy about
how it fits into a predetermined universe.