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re: Do you believe in free will?
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:42 am to Crimson G
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:42 am to Crimson G
quote:
Eta: I fail to understand how one can't believe in something if they deny the existence of free will.
You can "believe" something. But it makes belief a product of factors beyond your control. And that makes belief pretty meaningless, IMO.
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Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:44 am to Kentucker
quote:
As a species we haven't quite evolved beyond the "laws of nature." I think it's more accurate to refer to instinct.
I disagree. All species have an inherent calling to procreate...but many people make the choice not to.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 11:50 am to the808bass
quote:
And that makes belief pretty meaningless, IMO.
Well considering I'm a nihilist I don't see too big of a problem with that
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:07 pm to sorantable
It depends on how one defines free will.
If you mean the absolute freedom to make any possible choice in any given situation, free from outside influence, then no. In practice though yes, we do have the freedom to choose our actions but we are not as "free" as I think some imply when they say that.
If you mean the absolute freedom to make any possible choice in any given situation, free from outside influence, then no. In practice though yes, we do have the freedom to choose our actions but we are not as "free" as I think some imply when they say that.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:11 pm to Crimson G
quote:
I don't believe in free will. We have the illusion of choice, but it's all completely determined by our brain chemistry, our biology, and external stimuli.
I disagree on the basis that we deny ourselves the desires of our base biology daily.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:14 pm to Roger Klarvin
quote:
I disagree on the basis that we deny ourselves the desires of our base biology daily.
Agreed. Which is why I can believe homosexuality is wrong morally, but still a natural trait people are born with.
Seems shiny enough.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:16 pm to Roger Klarvin
Or perhaps you ignoring those desires could be the result of growing up in an environment that engenders that behavior?
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:23 pm to Crimson G
quote:
Well considering I'm a nihilist I don't see too big of a problem with that
The rare sports fan nihilist. A rare creature indeed.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:23 pm to the808bass
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:25 pm to 3nOut
quote:
Agreed. Which is why I can believe homosexuality is wrong morally, but still a natural trait people are born with.
You motherfricker
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:31 pm to 3nOut
quote:
Agreed. Which is why I can believe homosexuality is wrong morally, but still a natural trait people are born with.
:andherewego:
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:33 pm to the808bass
Shhhh... Y'all are scaring the big ones away.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:37 pm to sorantable
I think we have free will but with a stacked deck. For some reason children have to be taught to be good. They don't have to be taught bad, they do that all on their own. Self centered-ness is as natural as breathing air while self-sacrifice is a life long struggle.
jmo
jmo
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:48 pm to sorantable
I honestly have no idea. I think about it a lot. Free will vs Gods plan, that is. You can't have both.
Honestly I'm not even sure where the Christian faith stands on this. I hear people all the time talk about both.
Honestly I'm not even sure where the Christian faith stands on this. I hear people all the time talk about both.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 12:53 pm to UMRealist
I kinda lean toward St. Augustine. I think we have free will but we start out bent.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 2:01 pm to sorantable
quote:
Do you believe in free will?
No not really, everything is according to God's plan. He has selected some of us - the elect - to go to heaven and the rest to burn in hell. It is our actions that reveal whether we are destined to be part of that elect and certain actions show that a person is not. For example, consuming alcohol/tobacco, intercourse not for procreation, reading anything other than the Bible...all of these actions indicate whether a person is in the elect or not.
TL/DR: No free will. God did it. All yall gon burn.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 2:43 pm to sorantable
quote:
Are we able to operate and make choices
Of course. We choose whatever actions we take in life, although God already knows what choices we will make. There was a pretty big thread on this on the OT not too long ago.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 4:24 pm to KSGamecock
quote:
TL/DR: No free will. God did it. All yall gon burn.
You're in the neighborhood of an interesting schtick. Keep working on it.
Posted on 5/17/14 at 5:44 pm to KajunGator
quote:
I disagree. All species have an inherent calling to procreate...but many people make the choice not to.
That's why I said as a species. Yes, many people choose not to reproduce and many kudos to them. There are too many humans.
All instincts in humans have been weakened by the acquisition of an enhanced ability to reason, but as a species the drive to reproduce remains an overwhelming need. Eating, sleeping and having sex are the three natural drives that humans cannot ignore.
We can control them to some extent but we cannot eliminate their demands. They are no longer the instinctual mandates they once were, thank goodness. If we still had sex the way most animals do, we could call it rape instead.
This post was edited on 5/17/14 at 5:45 pm
Posted on 5/17/14 at 7:36 pm to Kentucker
quote:
Eating, sleeping and having sex are the three natural drives that humans cannot ignore.
For some reason, my ex wife was never aware of this.
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