Free will and determinism/Talk

I was unable to add this to your Free will and determinism page. I suspect a total-page-length issue.

Although I like your arguments, and I agree with your conclusion, I submit a couple of observations.

Observation 1

If the universe follows the laws of determinism, it may well be determined that I believe the universe follows the laws of free will.

Observation 2

If the universe follows the laws of free will, it is allowed for me to believe the universe follows the laws of determinism.

Regardless of whether free-will or determinism is the way the universe works, it is clear that society does hold me accountable for my actions; does dish out praise and blame; does decide whether I am sufficiently sane to be held accountable. Even self-proclaimed determinists will hold me accountable for my decisions and my actions.

It therefore behooves us to behave as if we have free-will, and expect to be held accountable for our decisions and actions.

This leads one to socially approved decision making and therefore socially approved behavior regardless of one's free-will choice to believe in determinism. ;-)

Jesse Chisholm

behooves us to behave as if we have free-will

In a world in which you do not have free will, nothing behooves you because you have no choice about how to behave! There is little in moral guidelines to be drawn from the free will debate. If there is no free will, then all moral suggestions are irrelevant. So people's behavior in the determined world cannot be affected by this way, and your argument fails logically.

Thankfully, reality also demonstrates that your conclusion does not take place (there are so many people not following socially-approved behavior). It was funny though ;-). Generally, i have never understood the desire to deny the experience of choice. --JohnAbbe