Philosophy Now Forum

Alexiev, your ignorance is staggering. If you think determinism hasn’t improved or reshaped societal systems, you’re not just uninformed—you’re willfully blind. Let’s start with medicine. Understanding the deterministic causes of illnesses—be they bacterial infections, genetic disorders, or environ...

Point out one way in which determinism has improved or reshaped societal systems and I will retract my claim that you are a moron. (We'll disallow battle plans based on astrology or augaries based on the flight of birds or entrails of chickens. That's luck, not determinism.) Until then, the claim st...

[ So I’ll say it one more time: deal with the reality of the four fundamental interactions and the conservation laws that govern the universe, or admit that your argument is nothing but the frightened ramblings of someone terrified to confront the truth. Choose—if your "free will" allows ...

[ So I’ll say it one more time: deal with the reality of the four fundamental interactions and the conservation laws that govern the universe, or admit that your argument is nothing but the frightened ramblings of someone terrified to confront the truth. Choose—if your "free will" allows ...

Paradise=Fantasy! Perhaps. But that may not be the lesson of Paradise Lost. When Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden (Paradise), Eve says, "In me is no delay with thee to go..." An angel leads Adam and Eve by their hands out of Eden. "They looked back, all the eastern side beheld Of ...

The liar destroys the genuineness that allows the soul to breath and when the soul cannot breath it becomes crippled and dies soon after. Who we are within forms the reality around us as the act of paying attention transmutes the reality of experience by our release into it. The more genuine we are...

A lie kills who a person is and could be, identity is life. Not if the person is a liar, it doesn't. I suppose contradictions are a part of the religious tradition: Death is birth, etc. But it's silly to say "lying is a form of murder." Why do we have different words? Lies are lies; murde...

John 8:44 ESV ''You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'' ⬆️Wha...

The good guy bad guy role reversal we see in these narratives is what happens when deep thinkers examine the world and see what a shit job god has done. The Satan character then becomes the symbol of the recognition that god is a slob and the act of rebellion and contempt against him. This interpre...

For several centuries, Milton's Paradise Lost was considered the great epic of the English language. It is not read as widely today because modern readers have lost a taste for long, difficult poetry. Nonetheless, its influence continues. Thomas Jefferson admired both the poem and some of Milton's p...

Alexiev, your point that both determinists and non-determinists seek to understand behavior is absolutely valid. The difference lies not in the act of seeking explanations but in the framework used to interpret them. Determinism rejects the idea of free will as a necessary ingredient in moral and s...

Alexiev, let’s tackle this point by point, starting with your claim that determinism leads to helplessness or irrelevance. Determinism, grounded in science, doesn’t prove anything in the absolute sense—that’s not its role. It’s a model based on evidence that everything in the universe is governed b...

Alexiev, your response raises an important question: what does it mean for a concept to "work," and how does determinism fit into that standard? Let's tackle this head-on, because your concerns about its relevance to human behavior and society deserve a clear, thoughtful answer. First, le...

The illusion of free will doesn’t elevate morality; it clouds it. And when we let go of that illusion, we can finally see morality for what it is: a product of cause and effect, a guide for navigating the complex, interconnected web of existence we’re all a part of. What clouds things is your insis...

Henry, my friend, I appreciate your thoughtful take on morality, but let’s step back for a moment and examine the foundations of your argument through the deterministic lens I hold dear. You propose that “proper, true, good morality” is something exclusive to free wills, to persons who, presumably,...