On 15 May 2015 at 02:03, Bruno Marchal <[email protected]> wrote: > On 14 May 2015, at 03:20, LizR wrote: > > On 14 May 2015 at 12:01, Russell Standish <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On Wed, May 13, 2015 at 01:46:49PM -0400, John Clark wrote: >> > On Tue, May 12, 2015 Russell Standish <[email protected]> wrote: >> > >> > > Free will is the ability to do something stupid. Nonrational. >> > > >> > >> > OK fine free will is non-rational, in other words an event performed >> for NO >> > REASON, in other words an event without a cause, in other words random. >> So >> > a radioactive atom has free will when it decays. >> >> A radioactive atom isn't a person, consequently does not have >> will. At least not when I last checked. >> > > But a person choosing what to do as a result of an atom decaying does have > free will, I assume? > > Only if you define free-will by random, but frankly, it seems that random > is the complete opposite of free-will. If you choose randomly, it means you > abandon your will to chance. It means you let chance doing the decision at > your place. > > Imagine that I give you the liberty to go either in Hell or in Paradise, > with your own free will. Then, as you tell me that free will = random, I > can throw the coin for you, and ... Hell. Would say that in that case you > are going to hell by your own free will? > > I think free will require determinacy, at least some amount so as being > able to do some planning. >
I was being a bit flippant. I think the definition that makes sense is being unable to predict someone's actions, possibly for deep "Halting-problem-type" reasons. But I am wary of talk about free will and responsibility because of their political use. As in a cartoon I have on my wall (though not the one in front of me at the moment, unfortunately, so this is from memory)... A business-suited arm points accusingly at a baby. A speech bubble from the arm's owner, out of frame: "YOU are going to make some bad decisions in your life. You will choose the wrong parents, the wrong socio-economic group, the wrong foster home. As a result you will be abused, drop out, become a delinquent, become drug-addicted, end up in prison... ...WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE?" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
