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Do we have free will?

Do we have Free Will?

  • Total voters
    33
A

Alien

I Fly Space.
painted wolf said:
I'm not saying it is.

But my biology limits my being... I can't simply be happy if I have a serotonin imbalance in the brain. I thought "free will" meant that I am free to decide how I will behave?

wa:do
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It does mean you are free to decide how you will behave. Only thing is, you'll be making that decision with a serotonin imbalance. If someone killed someone closed to you, would you be okay with them saying they had a mental illness and wasn't acting upon free will? Or would you want them to take responsibility and say yes, you made the choice to take a life. We can't choose our biology, but we do have control over the choices we make. To me, thats free will.
 
Eliot Wild

Eliot Wild

Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
Willamena said:
Nevermind.
Going to start a new thread.
Click to expand...


How discretionary!!!

Willamena, is your "choice" to forego further commentary in this particular thread and start one of your own supposed to be a demonstration of freewill in action?

Or, if one were capable of deciphering the falling domino's of causality, could Willamena's decision have been predicted?





Sorry, I'm stupid, I know, I just couldn't resist.
 
Danny Heim

Danny Heim

Active Member
Senedjem said:
I've been questioning this lately too. I've come to see the world in a very Hindu way. I see many things of this world as an illusion, the soul as the true self, love and companionship as true emotions, etc. If the divine is in all, that means that when we act, really the divine is acting, so we're not acting at all, so we might think we have free will, but that's just our self telling us that. What do you think? I hope I didn't confuse anybody, LOL
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Since I can take a flying leap off a cliff, then I'd say I have free will. Free will is the greatest gift that God (the Universe) gave us.
 
Danny Heim

Danny Heim

Active Member
YmirGF said:
I am not big on the concept of divinity as divinity implies that there are things that are not divine. Otoh, If all are an expression of that divinity then it does tend to water down the concept to begin with. I do have free will to do whatever I please, when I please, however that does not mean that I am free from the consequences given actions may well precipitate. Personally, I believe that belief in divinity, in any form, creates barriers in the mind of the believer that need not exist. I am more inclined to accept the responsibility for my own actions than to offload them on to another, no matter how grandiose. In my opinion, thinking that one is acting on divine will merely sinks one deeper into the fertile soil of fanaticism.
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very good
 
KatNotKathy

KatNotKathy

Well-Known Member
We like to think we have free will, but our material conditions prevent it. How is it free will when most of the decisions are made before you can consciously think about them?
 
B

Benoni

Well-Known Member
There is no such thing as man having a freewill towards salvation anywhere in the Bible. In fact the Bible teaches us the contrary.
 
painted wolf

painted wolf

Grey Muzzle
It does mean you are free to decide how you will behave. Only thing is, you'll be making that decision with a serotonin imbalance. If someone killed someone closed to you, would you be okay with them saying they had a mental illness and wasn't acting upon free will? Or would you want them to take responsibility and say yes, you made the choice to take a life. We can't choose our biology, but we do have control over the choices we make. To me, thats free will.
Click to expand...
If the killer had a genuine illness like Schizophrenia... Then I would hope that I am mature enough to want the person to get help rather than act out of blind vengeance.

But I can't know how I will act, I can only guess and hope I never have to find out.

wa:do
 
Danny Heim

Danny Heim

Active Member
KatNotKathy said:
We like to think we have free will, but our material conditions prevent it. How is it free will when most of the decisions are made before you can consciously think about them?
Click to expand...

Because you have the free will to come to realize this is the dilemma you are in, once you realize it, then you can choose to walk away from it, even unto death.

 
Rainbow Mage

Rainbow Mage

Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
Well except that it might be god guiding you away from it. This is why we call Wepwawet the opener of the way, and Anubis the opener of the mouth. Anubis already knows when you'll die
 
YmirGF

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
Senedjem said:
Well except that it might be god guiding you away from it. This is why we call Wepwawet the opener of the way, and Anubis the opener of the mouth. Anubis already knows when you'll die
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So, if Anu-baby knows when we will die does that mean that our death is predetermined?
 
A

AllanV

Active Member
Hi, free will is an empowerment to have in an experiential way, the ability to fulfill good and evil.

Either inadvertently or purposely the deeper consciousness will need to experience evil to understand good. Therefore all human endeavors that are observed can be understood in this way.
As some say we are all actors on the stage of life.

Self is empowered by the will and includes the ability to get into the minds of others and stir up feelings and this brings conflict.

Being in God's Will is to be empowered from the center of your being, the heart, in a perfect Nature and perfect Love.
 
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