Are we in control of our decisions?

[quatona]

Predestination, in its purest form, means we have no control over our actions. What we do is determined by external factors.

As far as I know "predestination" comes with quite a few additional assumptions. Anyway, if you basically mean "determinism" I understand your point better - although I still disagree.

Though the video was mostly about our lack of reasoning ability, I can see it being used to support the idea that we lack free will. If my choosing whether or not to be an organ donor is determined by the default option, that's an external cause determining my action. Of course, there are the few who deviated from the norm, but I'd suspect they had some other external factor to explain their decision. Maybe they have a relative whose in need of a heart transplant, or something.

It seems to me that showing a few examples where the majority doesn´t act as reasonable as they think they do is very far from proving determinism true.

(Then again, personally I don´t see any serious alternative to determinism, anyway. And on top I don´t find anything worrying about external factors playing a role in our decisions concerning the external world. I mean, I would be worried if this were not the case.)

I don't see how someone could watch the video and think it supports free will.

Personally, I haven´t even understood what "free will" is supposed to be. Then again, maybe the poster would - in case our actions were determined by external factors - expect us to always be bound to rationality, and thus interpretes our ability to act unreasonably as "free will"?

The whole point of it was to show how little control we have, despite the illusion we have in our heads that we are in control.

I´m still unconvinced that being in control and being undetermined (in the philosophical sense) are really as related concepts as you feel they are.
Besides, I am not sure that I agree that in the given examples the factors that caused the irrational decisions were "external". I´m more inclined to think that these factors have to do with how our brains work.

 

[juvenissun]

Well, it wasn´t me who started the "proof" thing.



"Not so rigorous"?
I don´t even see the attempt of a substantiation, argument, deduction or induction. I just see you giving your opinion.


No.

Hey, this is not my thread. If you like to keep me here to contribute, you need to provide me an incentive. I am not begging you anything on this thread.