On the Nature of Free Will

[Wyman]

Definition of oxymoron

: a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings

Just saying.

Which one?
"Free Will"
OR
"Determined Choice"

No, maybe 'determined freedom' or 'wilful apathy'
Will can be free or not, there is nothing in the word that bears on it being free or not - so 'free will' is not an oxymoron
Determined choice as a play on words could be said to be an oxymoron, where we mean something like 'pre-determined choice.' But usually we mean by it that the chooser's state of mind is fixed and resolute.

[Hobbes' Choice]

Definition of oxymoron

: a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings

Just saying.

Which one?
"Free Will"
OR
"Determined Choice"

No, maybe 'determined freedom' or 'wilful apathy'
Will can be free or not, there is nothing in the word that bears on it being free or not - so 'free will' is not an oxymoron
Determined choice as a play on words could be said to be an oxymoron, where we mean something like 'pre-determined choice.' But usually we mean by it that the chooser's state of mind is fixed and resolute.

Will cannot be free, as the will is the construct of your motivation at any given point in the causal chain. TO be free would mean to act regardless of the necessity of cause and effect.

I think choice is the result of the motivation meeting the opportunity and is thus determined by all antecedent states. It is more of a tautology.

[Wyman]

Will cannot be free, as the will is the construct of your motivation at any given point in the causal chain. TO be free would mean to act regardless of the necessity of cause and effect.

I think choice is the result of the motivation meeting the opportunity and is thus determined by all antecedent states. It is more of a tautology.

I was originally being priggish and commenting on the improper use of the word 'oxymoron.' To your point, however, the argument against freedom of will is quite powerful. I think the best and perhaps only argument against it is aesthetic and perhaps moral. Tolstoy said something to the effect of 'Once it is granted that life is rationally determined, any reason for living ceases.' I tend to agree, but I have never been able to convince anyone who does not already feel that way. It is as if you are either born with it or not. In another topic on this site, someone was talking about Sagan saying that we are made of stardust and how 'wonderful' and 'great' and 'terrific' it is that we are all connected to the vast universe in this way. I got over the 'wonder' of such things in grade school - yes, science is interesting, but I do not find it aesthetically or morally pleasing, much less 'wonderful.' So free will is important to some people like me, but I do not profess to have a rebuttal to the arguments of determinists.

[Terrapin Station]

Is human free will an oxymoron? Is the concept of free will incoherent?

My own answer to both of those questions is "No". However, I have a feeling that I'm in a minority when it comes to this topic.

If you believe that free will is incoherent, can you explain why?

I'd be happy for any replies -- regardless of your views.

When you 'freely' make a choice what do you mean?
In what way do you make that choice? Take me through the process. And if some other bit of information is given to you, is it possible that might change your choice?
Does learning and experience have an effect on your choices? What else might affect you decision?

For me, a lot of choices are kind of like running a random number generator or rolling dice (although like a random number generator I can bias a bit/dice I can weight). My pool might be tuna, chicken or soup, say, and I can "mentally roll the dice" to choose one, and I can do this in a way where on that day, maybe tuna has a 50% chance of being chosen.

[henry quirk]

It seems to me, as I go through my day-to-day, I choose...in large ways, in small ways...in haste and leisurely...always I'm choosing.

Alarm goes off at four...I groan...the bed is warm...I'm comfortable...do I really need to get up? If I plan to attend to the ten year old, get some work done, have a cup of coffee, and take a shower, then -- yeah -- I do. If the boy has no school, if I have no work to address, then -- no -- probably not.

I assess (consciously, actively, intently) the circumstance and choose. I'm not a domino waitin' for the one behind me to shove me over, I'm an agent in the world, assessing, choosing, acting, directing.

I can't deny 'cause and effect' but I also can't ignore my experience of self-direction.

So: if both 'c & e' and self-direction are real, there must be an aspect of reality we're overlookin' or haven't pinned down.