Philosophy Now Forum

SpheresOfBalance wrote:Compatibilism is the truth, as determinism and physics are bound. . .

As physics is a science, and thus makes no truth claims, your argument fails.

2) if determinism is true, then at time zero there is a fact about which option I will enact at time three Not unless all the causative factors are know. Determinism is a metaphysical thesis, so, facts about the future exist, in a determined world, whether they are known or not. I'm not going to ad...

I've been thinking about the free will problem for some time and I'd want to ask you something: do you think it is possible to prove that determinism is false ? Sure: 1) at time zero I am undecided about which of two options to enact at time three 2) if determinism is true, then at time zero there ...

Arising_uk wrote:

ughaibu wrote:Well, you were mistaken, a fact that was made available to you by the PhilPapers survey.

My apologies I can't find the link? Could you point it out to me please.

http://philpapers.org/surveys/results.pl

Arising_uk wrote:I thought that philosophers, unless religious or mystical, agree that we are completely determined by physical forces. Hence there is no 'free-will', just Will as Schopenhaur pointed out.

Well, you were mistaken, a fact that was made available to you by the PhilPapers survey.

There is, in fact a lot of doubt, by many people. There's very little doubt, amongst philosophers. If there is a large number of significant doubters, who are they? http://philosophynow.org/podcasts/Free_Will_and_the_Brain On that link there is one, seriously confused, guy denying the existence of ...

I believe that the free will issue is kind of BS. Of course we have free will, there is no doubt. I think a lot of people would disagree with you here. There is, in fact a lot of doubt, by many people. There's very little doubt, amongst philosophers. If there is a large number of significant doubte...

MGL wrote:. . . I can't see the connection.

Okay.

What I fail to understand is why the reasons for choosing A rather than B should not be considered as part of the conditions. Because it commits one to the rejection of principle 1b . That, of course, is up to you, the reader, you can reject an essential principle of science or you can accept that ...

. . . but it has to be a different reason for the one of selecting B rather than A on another occasion. As it is a different reason then the conditions are different. No, the conditions are not different, in any relevant sense, unless you beg the question in favour of determinism, and that means re...

. . . will be for a reason for performing that action RATHER than any other action in the option set. It must therefore form part of the relevant conditions that prevail. It must also be different from the reason for choosing an alternative action from the option rather than the others. We can choo...

I think what you are saying is this: Because I can perform two different actions in identical circumstances these actions cannot be determined. Why would you think that? In particular, why would you think that I'm saying that "I can perform two different actions in identical circumstances"...

In a determined world the facts about the future are fixed, so there are no realisable alternatives. I'm sorry but I don't see how determinism imples - becausue the future is fixed - that there are no realisable alternatives in the way you defined them simply as observable repeatable and different ...

I am happy to accept that you have demonstrated conscious choice from amongst realisable alternatives Thanks. So, free will is observable and in order to deny this, the denier must abandon at least one essential principle of science. This establishes that, if there is a free will issue, then that i...

I have not stated that "consciousness is observable" MGL: I have had to infer that from your assertion that free-will is observable. Otherwise you could only claim that freedom was observable 1) spell out the inference whereby a demonstration of conscious choice from amongst realisable al...