Do you Think we have Free Will

[leroy]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices that are not fully determined by past events nor fully random

I know this is a hard question and that nobody claims to have 100% certanity..... but in your opinion what is more likely to be true?... do you think humans have the aility to make choices ?

 

[Jimmy]

We only get one shot at life imo. Does that answer your question?

 

[Eddi]

I feel as though I do

So I go ahead and live my life as though I do

I think this is reasonable

 

[Koldo]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices (atleast Sometimes)

I know this is a hard question and that nobody claims to have 100% certanity..... but in your opinion what is more likely to be true?... do you think humans have the aility to make choices ?

I had voted on the second alternative, but then after reading how you are defining the term I changed to the first one.

There is little dispute over whether we make choices. The crux of the issue is whether those choices have an outcome determined by something other than past events or randomness.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices (atleast Sometimes)

By that definition, the answer is an obvious "yes," but I don't think your definition describes free will.

 

[Stevicus]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices (atleast Sometimes)

I know this is a hard question and that nobody claims to have 100% certanity..... but in your opinion what is more likely to be true?... do you think humans have the aility to make choices ?

I don't think it can be answered strictly "yes" or "no," so I didn't cast a vote.

One could say that a rat going through a maze has the ability to make choices to go down one path or another. If that qualifies as "free will," then perhaps it might be.

 

[libre]

“man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, in other respect is free; because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” - Jean-Paul Sartre.

Not only are we able to make decisions, the existentialist perceives that there is no way we can avoid making them even if we want to.

 

[Eddi]

I believe in constrained agency

We can make choices but are also subject to things we have no control over

So yes, we do have free will

Just not total free will

 

[leroy]

I had voted on the second alternative, but then after reading how you are defining the term I changed to the first one.

There is little dispute over whether we make choices. The crux of the issue is whether those choices have an outcome determined by something other than past events or randomness.

In my opinion this is redundant, choices by definition are not fully determined by past events nor randomness..... but thanks for the feedback.... I changed the definition ...

 

[leroy]

By that definition, the answer is an obvious "yes," but I don't think your definition describes free will.

I changed the definition a few minutes ago

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I changed the definition a few minutes ago

... which makes the poll useless.

The new definition seems like it's worse, if anything. What made you decide that free will can't be "fully determined by past events nor fully random"?

 

[leroy]

... which makes the poll useless.

The new definition seems like it's worse, if anything. What made you decide that free will can't be "fully determined by past events nor fully random"?

Well not being fully determined is part of the definition of free will.

 

[danieldemol]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices that are not fully determined by past events nor fully random

All our choices are either fully predetermined, fully random, or some mixture of the two and none of these options can fairly be described as "free" without distorting the meaning of free to mean something other than free in my view.

so I pretty much ignored your ultrasemantic definition of free to vote no since what the Bible interpreters referred to as free will is will such that no one is to blame other than the agent making the choice, which would require that choices are neither predetermined, random, nor any mixture of the two in my view.

I also see it as valueless to vote for the ultrasemantic definition because as time goes on you keep changing it as pointed out above, so I simply couldn't guarantee the outcome of the poll to be meaningful unless we vote using the standard relevant meaning of freewill as opposed to your constantly shifting goal posts.

 

[osgart]

A person is free to will what they will. No one can force someone else to will differently. So internally there is freedom. I do not think people are genetically programmed to respond to the environment. Actions can be forced, but will is not forceable.

As far as wants and desires go there are probably limits. Some people may be slave to their wants and desires, but I don't think that is true of all people.

I think it entirely self evident that my will is my own and no one elses. So in many senses free will exists.

Perhaps in one sense will is not free, and that would be to will otherwise than what you do will.

Perhaps there are a lot of factors that go into what a person wills. However what a person wills is who they are, and no one else, and nothing else decides that; and that's free will as well.

 

[InChrist]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices that are not fully determined by past events nor fully random

I know this is a hard question and that nobody claims to have 100% certanity..... but in your opinion what is more likely to be true?... do you think humans have the aility to make choices ?

Yes, I think humans have free will and the ability to make choices.

 

[flowerpower]

I voted "yes" but I wish the poll had "other" as an option.

I've always kind of thought "yes" but, the more I see and experience, the more I doubt it.

Then again, the entire concept of "free will" seems reductive to me these days - like we have free will but only as far as any given person can conceive of it, which is not at all. So it's a paradox.

The whole discussion seems to transcend time and space too which sucks as much as it inspires awe.

 

[Brickjectivity]

We are responsible for our choices, but we are mostly shaped by our surroundings. If I am evil because of my background, I am nevertheless evil. If I am good because of my background, I still am good. My choices display who I am.

 

[stvdv]

* In this context Free Will is defined as the ability to make choices that are not fully determined by past events nor fully random

I know this is a hard question and that nobody claims to have 100% certanity..... but in your opinion what is more likely to be true?... do you think humans have the aility to make choices ?

Well, if it's not fully determined by past events nor fully randam

Then humans have occasionally free will (those moments that are not determined by past events)

 

[Koldo]

In my opinion this is redundant, choices by definition are not fully determined by past events nor randomness..... but thanks for the feedback.... I changed the definition ...

Ok. Changed my vote accordingly then.

 

[leroy]

All our choices are either fully predetermined, fully random, or some mixture of the two and none of these options can fairly be described as "free" without distorting the meaning of free to mean something other than free in my view.

so I pretty much ignored your ultrasemantic definition of free to vote no since what the Bible interpreters referred to as free will is will such that no one is to blame other than the agent making the choice, which would require that choices are neither predetermined, random, nor any mixture of the two in my view.

I also see it as valueless to vote for the ultrasemantic definition because as time goes on you keep changing it as pointed out above, so I simply couldn't guarantee the outcome of the poll to be meaningful unless we vote using the standard relevant meaning of freewill as opposed to your constantly shifting goal posts.

I am not trying top play semantics; I am using the standard definition of free will………… feel free to quote the actual definition and explain why is that definition different form mine