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Free will and determinism

Mark Quayle

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Repeating: Gazillions of unique components interacting with gazillions of other completely unique components, none of which are known or knowable in full is at a minimum, a complete mystery. Miss 1 and you possibly miss all. (Accounting rule)
Yet, amazingly enough to me, you admit to God knowing everything. That WE don't know many things does not render them unknowable.

Would you say that the proverbial tree falling in the forest with nobody there to hear it does not make a sound?
 
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childeye 2

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Oh, I understood your post, but just thought this was a more polite reply than what I was originally thinking, and so again, and in the interest of politeness again, and also not wanting to derail the thread, I'm just simply going to say God Bless, ok.

[Later Edited/Added] If you really want to discuss these other topics that you are right now bringing up, create another thread and invite me to it, and I'll discuss some of these other matters you are right now bringing up with you there, k, but right now though, I'm not going to try and derail this specfic topic right now being discussed in this specfic thread, k.

I am being tempted to get into some of them with you about it, but you'll probably have to create another thread, and invite me to it, or link it to me here, and I'll join you there, k.

God Bless.
The topic is free will and determinism. My points are directly addressing the impetus or purpose and intent of what has been determined by the determiner; the term free will as posed in the op is not actually a will that determines anything but instead describes the event of making a choice between options which makes free will a circumstantial event, not a will. Hence what I'm saying is on topic.

The reason I think you misunderstood me is because you used the term 'believe' in the context of whether God exists or not, while I was using 'faith' in the context of God being 'trustworthy'. Do you see the difference? God has to exist as an axiomatic term or God doesn't mean God.
 
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BelieveItOarKnot

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Again, I'll point out that you made up the claim about Sapolsky. Would you like to take this opportunity to retract it, knowing that it wasn't true?
We all can be quite thoroughly assured that Mr Sapolski does not know nor can he even conceive of his own gazillions of factors that play into his form of determinism which really is not determinism at all and is not in the least in the common Christian sense of the term, Determinism
 
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Mark Quayle

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Right, we're all vessels of clay and God hardens whom He will harden. It just so happens that the issue of sin being God's "fault" or the creature's fault frames the debate so that the meaning of the term 'responsible' morphs to 'liable'. But vanity, according to scripture actually began by the creature taking credit for wisdom morphing the term responsible into vanity. 'Vanity' in this instance is describing comparing oneself with others and feeling either lifted up or put down in the process. The issue is Character; I once was told that God would not impose Himself upon us, and I replied by asking How His breathing life into Mankind making us in His image was not an imposition on the dirt?
Yes. The term, "fault", implies 'blame' and 'responsibility', to the mind of humans. "Fault" necessarily, then, cannot be applied to God, because morality is objectively not just what GOD says is sin, but is by definition, against God. It is self-contradictory to say, then, that God can be at fault, (unless man is stupid enough to blame God for what God does, thus making sin relative to man's fickle notions.)

That God causes that there be sin, does not mean that God sins in doing so, nor that God tempts anyone. (James 1:13-17)
 
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childeye 2

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Yes. The term, "fault", implies 'blame' and 'responsibility', to the mind of humans. "Fault" necessarily, then, cannot be applied to God, because morality is objectively not just what GOD says is sin, but is by definition, against God. It is self-contradictory to say, then, that God can be at fault, (unless man is stupid enough to blame God for what God does, thus making sin relative to man's fickle notions.)

That God causes that there be sin, does not mean that God sins in doing so, nor that God tempts anyone. (James 1:13-17)
Sin is often identified as 'missing the mark'; I think it refers to God's Character in this mode. Concerning who is to blame for sin, it would be a circumstantial cause in a Creator/creature dynamic. This is something I want you to see as pertains to what I call an 'innocence gap'-->

In deterministic conditions there has to be an objective positive/negative morality/immorality that pertains to Character, and it is articulated as Sacrificing self for others/sacrificing others for self. Can you objectively see which one is the truth? Truth precedes lies and the eternal precedes the temporal which is why faith/unfaith is the first derivative of the Agape primitive; no one creature can prove or disprove the Eternal as eternal, one must either trust or distrust.

I see a second dichotomy I will label as an east/west dichotomy. It shows two opposing subjective views that objectively are equally valid at the objective center; both views have their own left/right or give/take which are inverted and inter-subjective since what is on the left hand of one is on the right hand of the other -> example a buyer/seller agreeing on a fair price.

I see a Creator/creature dynamic that forms an "innocence gap" that works like a diode causing grace to flow one direction in a circuit. It can be described in a metaphor -> The woman was made from a piece of the man and upon seeing the woman the man adored her above all other created things; but the woman who had never been alone could not reciprocate as a matter of circumstance. However, when she brings forth a child, the child will be a piece of her and she will adore that child but the child cannot reciprocate, and the woman will have come full circle understanding the man. The innocence gap is where accusations can appear plausible and distrust can manifest in an east/west dichotomy.
 
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BelieveItOarKnot

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Big Bang is inconsequential in the argument of the OP
Not according to the cited author. Everything that has transpired in the schemes of life plays a potential role in "his" version of determinism. Gazillions of components was the general gist.
"Entirely random" is a bogus notion.
Unless you'd care to quantify counless gazillions of individually unique components, known and unknown and the possible detailed intricacies therein I'll stick with random unless you have a better solution?
Reality doesn't depend on our view of it, nor, certainly, our assessment of it.
Reality as assessed by whom and by what measures?
'Unknowable' [by us, ignorant of most causes] does not render anything, 'random'.
It could easily and rightfully appear that way to us because of complexities known, unknown and all the possible contributors therein.

It's not as simple as it's being spun
 
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Bradskii

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We all can be quite thoroughly assured that Mr Sapolski does not know nor can he even conceive of his own gazillions of factors that play into his form of determinism which really is not determinism at all and is not in the least in the common Christian sense of the term, Determinism
What you just posted had absolutely nothing whatsoever with your claim that:
It's entirely random and unknowable in full according to Mr Sapolsky's own observations.
He has never made that observation. He has never associated that which is unknown with so called random events.

I'll be polite and say that you were mistaken. Now, would you like to correct something you have posted which you know to be untrue?
 
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BelieveItOarKnot

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Yet, amazingly enough to me, you admit to God knowing everything.
You'd prefer an ignorant unknowing God?

Uh...why?
That WE don't know many things does not render them unknowable.
Well straying into the theological aspects of that is different than what Bradskii is proposing.

In the theological aspect I'd propose only God is capable of knowing and controlling everything and I'm OK with that.
Would you say that the proverbial tree falling in the forest with nobody there to hear it does not make a sound?
Irrelevant
 
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Neogaia777

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The topic is free will and determinism. My points are directly addressing the impetus or purpose and intent of what has been determined by the determiner; the term free will as posed in the op is not actually a will that determines anything but instead describes the event of making a choice between options which makes free will a circumstantial event, not a will. Hence what I'm saying is on topic.

The reason I think you misunderstood me is because you used the term 'believe' in the context of whether God exists or not, while I was using 'faith' in the context of God being 'trustworthy'. Do you see the difference? God has to exist as an axiomatic term or God doesn't mean God.
Ok, so do think there is free will or not?

Or do you think determinism is true or not?

And then maybe why or why not?

Oh, and by looking at some of your other posts here just recently, I think everybody here is misunderstanding you or not fully understanding you @childeye 2. You're making it kind of difficult to follow, etc? Try speaking plainly to us, k. You seem to be wanting to talk about a bunch of stuff that just isn't being talked about here, etc.

God Bless.
 
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childeye 2

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Ok, so do think there is free will or not?

Or do you think determinism is true or not?

And then maybe why or why not?

Oh, and by looking at some of your other posts here just recently, I think everybody here is misunderstanding you or not fully understanding you @childeye 2. You're making it kind of difficult to follow, etc? Try speaking plainly to us, k. You seem to be wanting to talk about a bunch of stuff that just isn't being talked about here, etc.

God Bless.
Thanks, at least you're understanding me about this--> I'm wanting to talk about stuff that just isn't being talked about here, and it should be.

I don't know how to speak plainly in your meaning of the term 'plainly'. I study semantics as pertains to psycholinguistics; most of you guys are the ones that can't articulate objective language. It's like asking me to speak like a blind man when I'm not blind. How does a blind man know I see? Most people don't even qualify what objective and subjective mean, How then can they identify an objective positive from an objective negative? In other words, they cannot tell the truth from a lie posing as the truth.

Whether I think there is a freewill or not is dependent upon whether the term is subjective or objective when qualifying both 'free' and 'will'.

I'm not going to say yes or no when I don't know which meaning of free will you're referring to, and which meaning of 'believe' you mean to apply.

In other words, I don't believe/trust in a false free will, but I do believe/trust in a true free will. One has to know why and how one will is truly free and the other "free" will is a lie <-- That is positive/negative objectivity.

There definitely is determinism in the temporal existence or God doesn't exist as the Eternal. But when the Eternal enters the temporal, a NEW determinism alters the course of the first one. Objectively the will is about Character and the choices one makes reflects their state of character at the moment of choice. There are enslaved wills and free wills because there is a carnal mind and a spiritual mind. Hence the free will in the op doesn't even exist as a will until I see the choice options and the choice made.
 
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Neogaia777

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Thanks, at least you're understanding me about this--> I'm wanting to talk about stuff that just isn't being talked about here, and it should be.

I don't know how to speak plainly in your meaning of the term 'plainly'. I study semantics as pertains to psycholinguistics; most of you guys are the ones that can't articulate objective language. It's like asking me to speak like a blind man when I'm not blind. How does a blind man know I see? Most people don't even qualify what objective and subjective mean, nor can they identify an objective positive from an objective negative. In other words they cannot tell the truth from a lie posing as the truth.

Do I think there is a freewill or not is dependent upon whether the term is subjective or objective when qualifying both 'free' and 'will'. In other words, I don't believe/trust in a false free will, but I do in a true one. <-- That is positive/negative objectivity.

There definitely is determinism in the temporal existence or God doesn't exist as the Eternal. But when the Eternal enters the temporal, a NEW determinism alters the course of the first one. Objectively the will is about Character and the choices one makes reflects their character.
I was told a quote from Einstein one time, and it became one of my faves that I always try to keep in mind now, and it goes something like this "If you can't explain it to a six year old, maybe you don't fully understand it yourself", etc, and I always try to keep that in mind now, especially on here, etc, because that can be a problem sometimes with intelligent people, or academics, or anyone who is now well versed about certain subjects, etc. Basically it boils down to that if you can make it simple, or very, very easy to read/understand in a way that other maybe not well versed in the subject can easily understand, then maybe you don't fully understand yourself yet, etc. Building a bridge between that gap that is created after a lot of study isn't easy, but it oftentimes does accurately reflect how much you truly understand it yourself, etc.

And as for a objective, I think that comes from a truly neutral, unbiased point of view, which all of us are having to work on, since we most usually have at least some biases, etc.

God Bless.
 
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Mark Quayle

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BelieveItOarKnot said:
Repeating: Gazillions of unique components interacting with gazillions of other completely unique components, none of which are known or knowable in full is at a minimum, a complete mystery. Miss 1 and you possibly miss all. (Accounting rule)
Mark Quayle said:
Yet, amazingly enough to me, you admit to God knowing everything.
You'd prefer an ignorant unknowing God?

Uh...why?
How's this more obvious statement: "Yet, strangely enough, you admit to God knowing everything" when you contradictingly state that there is such a thing as 'unknowable [facts]'.
Well straying into the theological aspects of that is different than what Bradskii is proposing.
Agreed. But what you answer thus, was not a theological statement, (although within theology the statement still is true).
In the theological aspect I'd propose only God is capable of knowing and controlling everything and I'm OK with that.
Good. So, no such thing as uncaused will of the creature.

Mark Quayle said:
Would you say that the proverbial tree falling in the forest with nobody there to hear it does not make a sound?
Irrelevant
Not so! The point is, God does whatever he does, for his own sake, from his own motivation, by himself. Who do we think WE are?

Putting into a non-theological statement, it may look a little more like this: "Who do we think we ARE, that us being there to hear it makes any difference as to whether it made a sound or not?"
 
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Mark Quayle

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Unless you'd care to quantify counless gazillions of individually unique components, known and unknown and the possible detailed intricacies therein I'll stick with random unless you have a better solution?
My inability to do that does not mean it is actually random. Simple. That our thinking is done as if it was random is just one more demonstration of causation to our choices.
Reality as assessed by whom and by what measures?
The statement is made according to fact. Whether we are even aware of a fact makes no difference as to whether that thing is a fact. (And don't start getting smart with quantum "realities" and evidences of our viewing a thing determining its outcome/state. That's not what I'm talking about, though we can go there, too.)
It could easily and rightfully appear that way to us because of complexities known, unknown and all the possible contributors therein.
Easily?—yes, but so what? Rightfully?—no. It is a mistake, though it is convenient and works well for us in many uses.
It's not as simple as it's being spun
Actually, it is simple logic, which logic is natural to rational thought, (though we shrug it off to avoid figuring out all the causes). Cause-and-effect. Pervasive and comprehensive, universal.
 
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childeye 2

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I was told a quote from Einstein one time, and it became one of my faves that I always try to keep in mind now, and it goes something like this "If you can't explain it to a six year old, maybe you don't fully understand it yourself", etc, and I always try to keep that in mind now, especially on here, etc, because that can be a problem sometimes with intelligent people, or academics, or anyone who is now well versed about certain subjects, etc. Basically it boils down to that if you can make it simple, or very, very easy to read/understand in a way that other maybe not well versed in the subject can easily understand, then maybe you don't fully understand yourself yet, etc. Building a bridge between that gap that is created after a lot of study isn't easy, but it oftentimes does accurately reflect how much you truly understand it yourself, etc.

And as for a objective, I think that comes from a truly neutral, unbiased point of view, which all of us are having to work on, since we most usually have at least some biases, etc.

God Bless.
Okay, I get the message.

This IS a simple positive/negative format, --> 1) there are free wills and there are unfree wills who think they are free.

2) The truly free wills are the positive free wills

3)the unfree wills who think they are free are the negative free wills.

4) The free will that is truly free reasons on a true Image of God.

5) The unfree will thinks it's free but has a false image of god that it reasons upon.

6) Objectively, one has to first understand what the term God means as an axiomatic term to understand what a free will is and how determinism relates as to His purpose. The purpose is to know Him.
 
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Neogaia777

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This IS a simple positive negative format, --> there are free wills and there are unfree wills who think they are free.

The free will that is truly free reasons on a true Image of God, and the unfree will thinks it's free but has a false image of god it reasons upon.

Objectively, one has to first understand what the term God means to understand what a free will is and how determinism relates.
I'm of the belief/point of view that there is technically no free will for anyone, and also, for a more religious aspect of the discussion, that no being anywhere can ever be truly and fully omniscient if there is.

If you want to talk about that, let me know, ok.

God Bless.
 
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Fervent

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Mark Quayle said:
I've seen no fallacies in it, other than denial of a willed first cause, which wasn't part of the OP or intent of the thread. Maybe you can point out what apparently @Bradskii and I and I'm not sure who else, here, are not privy to.

Without going back and seeing to what you are referring with each of these, 1) I have to assume for the first, that you mean "begging the question" to be referring to all his arguments that assume what the OP defines as "free will" in showing it is a bogus notion. If, in your opinion, that is begging the question, then it should be admitted by you that indeed the term, "free will", is bogus.
His definition is not the definition, so all you are doing here is defending a fallacious argument by insisting that it is true. It's not logic in any sense of the word.
2) Second, a strawman is presenting one's opponent's position falsely, in order to defeat it—no mention in that definition of allowing the opponent to define it for themselves; they may or may not.
While it's true that defining the position isn't explicit in the definition of a strawman, it is implied since the issue is the distortion that is built into the act of defining the position in the weakest possible form.
3) Third, when you claim he is affirming the consequent, I would like to see where he did that. All I saw was affirmation of the obvious, that cause-and-effect prevails universally regardless. To me, when I have seen this, I would say that 'affirming the consequent', which is pretty much what the opponents were doing, would be better described as 'circular reasoning', assuming a use of, "free will"—i.e. uncaused will—in proving that what the will does shows that the will is uncaused to do so.
That's just more question begging, I was explicit about the argument form that both you and he have employed. You speak of "circular reasoning" while you are blatantly engaged in it. If your position cannot possibly fail, you aren't being convinced by aarguments or evidence. You have just locked yourself in a box where no one can touch you. Though to be fair, I was more referring to your "arguments" when I was speaking of affirming the consequent. So your response isn't a refutation, it's nothing but a rationalization.
 
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childeye 2

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I'm of the belief/point of view that there is technically no free will for anyone, and also, for a more religious aspect of the discussion, that no being anywhere can ever be truly and fully omniscient if there is.

If you want to talk about that, let me know, ok.

God Bless.
I try to use objective terms. Subsequently, I don't know what you mean by free will in this sentence --> I'm of the belief/point of view that there is technically no free will for anyone. If you would qualify the terms 'free' and 'will' separately I could see where you're coming from. What is the will 'free' from when you say it? Does will mean desire when you use it, or the ability to choose?

I'd be happy to talk about the term 'God', but I'm not interested in any religious aspect of God. When people use the term God, I first need to know what it means to them, to see where they are coming from. Almost universally in every religion, it means the highest power and hence an axiomatic term.

When you remove the requirement of a personal deity and focus on:

  • eternal
  • uncaused
  • foundational
  • axiomatic
…you discover that many worldviews converge on the same metaphysical idea, even if they use different names:

  • Brahman
  • Tao
  • The One
  • Purusha
  • Li
  • Monad
  • Unmoved Mover
  • Ik Onkar
  • The Absolute
  • The Ground of Being
The sentiment is the same: something precedes us, grounds us, and is not contingent on anything else.
 
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BelieveItOarKnot

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He has never made that observation. He has never associated that which is unknown with so called random events.
Are you really prepared to state that Mr. Sapolsky (or any person of your choice) as any kind of definite grip on GAZILLIONS of unique components interacting with other unique compilations of GAZILLIONS of components?

How can we spell horse puckey?
 
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BelieveItOarKnot

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My inability to do that does not mean it is actually random. Simple.
The entire point of the observation my friend, is that it can not be as simple as Mr. Sapolsky claims.

And I would say Christian Determinism has the same problem, if holders were honest that is.

It's one thing to say The Divine Sovereign can do anything He wants to do. It's quite another to claim what that might be or consist of.

In Mr. Sapolsky's case he's merely selling his book of business like everyone else because his determinations can not possibly handle his own claims of what his position consists of.
 
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Neogaia777

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I try to use objective terms. Subsequently, I don't know what you mean by free will in this sentence --> I'm of the belief/point of view that there is technically no free will for anyone. If you would qualify the terms 'free' and 'will' separately I could see where you're coming from. What is the will 'free' from when you say it? Does will mean desire when you use it, or the ability to choose?

I'd be happy to talk about the term 'God', but I'm not interested in any religious aspect of God. When people use the term God, I first need to know what it means to them, to see where they are coming from. Almost universally in every religion, it means a higher power and hence an axiomatic term.

When you remove the requirement of a personal deity and focus on:

  • eternal
  • uncaused
  • foundational
  • axiomatic
…you discover that many worldviews converge on the same metaphysical idea, even if they use different names:

  • Brahman
  • Tao
  • The One
  • Purusha
  • Li
  • Monad
  • Unmoved Mover
  • Ik Onkar
  • The Absolute
  • The Ground of Being
The sentiment is the same: something precedes us, grounds us, and is not contingent on anything else.
My simple definition of free will is something that you do/choose completely on your own independent of any other causes that are making the choice for you, and my definition of having your own will is pretty much the same.

And as far as the God I believe in, I believe in a triune God consisting of Jesus Christ, God in the OT of the Bible, and a Heavenly Father God deity that is our highest Father/God, and that was the only one of these that was/is always fully omniscient from the or any (of the) beginning(s), and the only one that could act completely independently of any prior causes ever, and that is the author of all this determinism for all the other beings from the beginning.
 
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