Those who think that free will may be an an illusion couldn't ask for a better example of a person who suffers from that illusion than Barry, who firmly believes he has free will, oblivious to the fact that in proclaiming it, he's actually advertising how utterly he lacks it.
--- In [email protected], turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: <snip> > Besides, attempts to "prove" that there is or is not > such a thing as free will strike me as the kind of > thing a catechist would do -- declare that only one > answer can be correct or true, and for everyone. I > am less limited, and can see that it might be an > individual thang, with some having free will and > others not having it. > > To provide a completely theoretical example of how > this could work, say there was a deranged bag lady > who had taken offense at some perceived minor slight > years ago, and had as a result cyberstalked the person > she believed slighted her for, say, seventeen years, > spending during most of that time 25% to 50% of her > weekly posting allotment trying to "get" him. I think > we would agree that such a person has no free will, > because no one who indulged in such embarrassing > behavior and had the free will to change it would > fail to *not* change it. Continuing the embarrassing > behavior for that long can legitimately be seen as a > kind of proof that *for that particular cyberstalker* > there is no free will. > > On the other hand, if the stalkee refused to play the > game and ignored the cyberstalker as if her and her > attempts to "get" him affected his life about as much > as finding one's path blocked by a puddle of flea piss > would, and focused on his life, well that individual > obviously has free will. What about the "stalkee" who, after having announced long ago that he would henceforth ignore the "stalker," continues to make dozens and dozens of posts *reiterating* his determination to ignore her, and dozens and dozens more attacking and demonizing her, all while claiming she has no effect on him whatsoever? Does that individual have free will? Seems to me there's even *less* question about the "stalkee's" lack of free will, since he repeatedly demonstrates his inability to do what he keeps proclaiming he's doing. He's helpless to resist his compulsion to pay attention to her, helpless to avoid noisily exhibiting that helplessness over and over and over again, and helpless even to realize how transparently he's displaying his helplessness. He's a veritable poster boy for the premise that free will is an illusion. Convinced that he's got it, he has no choice but to continually prove he doesn't.
