Maybe this has come up before, but I still wanted to ask. Lately, I’ve been a bit confused about whether we really have free will or not. I’m not religious and I don’t really believe in metaphysics. I’d probably call myself agnostic. I’ve just been questioning life more than I used to, and this thought keeps popping into my head.
Do we actually have free will? Like, can we really choose things the way religious texts say we can? What made me think about this is how predictable the micro world seems to be—but when you go deeper into the quantum level, things get really chaotic and complex.
On top of that, as people, we’re constantly shaped by what we go through, and it feels like our reactions and choices get more limited over time.
What do you think about all this?
Oh, and ignore all religious ideas about free will
You’re not going to get anywhere listening to fairytales
I’d hope that people posting about philosophy are at least aware enough and able to think about a range of ideas to see that Positivism is but one idea and not an entirely uncontraversial one.
Transcindentalism is important to human existence and experience, be it organised religion or not.
On topic: things being able to be worked out or predicted don’t necessarily indicate a lack of free will.
But a more important question is is the reality of free will more important than the image-idea of it? We can only live our lives as we can, with the knowledge we have while doing so.
Exactly
It’s a pretty pointless question, because the outcome is the same regardless
Even though I have no religion, I cannot ignore them, even if they are religious thoughts. I understand your point, but my real fear is that I cannot see what they see. So I give them all at least a chance.
Then you’re wasting your time, and ours
I respect your opinion, but for me it is not a waste of time. My ultimate desire is not to know the real answer, but to find what would I accept as the real answer. I don’t need to go from point A to point B. The real joy for me is that I am discussing this. After all, we humans are limited beings, and just because we think we have found the real truth doesn’t make it true. What we accept today with scientific consensus can be overturned by new perspectives and new learnings. What I mean here is not the possibility of religious writings being true, I’m not approaching their ideas by saying “what if they are true?”. What I am looking for is to see as many differences of opinion as possible and find my own self. In any case, if we are discussing the existence of free will and the answer is that there is no free will, then my life experience, what I have been exposed to, my environment, what I have experienced will stop me from going beyond a certain view, and even if it were the truth, I would probably not be able to reach that truth. We may disagree on this, which is very natural. If it is a waste of time for you, it would be best not to argue.
Trust nothing an enthusiast has to say about ANYTHING
You can trust me about booze, and fisting
I know a lot about booze, and fisting
A couple of other things too, but those two are where I really shine