On the Nature of Free-Will [Philosophical argument against Free-Will, and against Determinism]

alchemage (66)in #philosophy • 7 years ago

free will puppet.jpg

Philosophers all throughout recorded history have argued that moral agents possess the capacity & capability of absolute free-will. Absolute free-will is the capability to think, and act completely of one's own volition without the influence of external stimuli. Within the construct of free-will, we have for us defined moral agents/actors, and moral patients.

Moral agents are entities which possess the capacity & capability of moral & ethical reasoning, while moral patients receive the actions of moral agents. Moral patients must possess the capacity for pleasure and/or suffering.

According to most modern philosophers, humans and a very select few other high brain functioning animals are the only entities to possess the capacity & capability of moral & ethical reasoning, everything else are moral patients. However, empirical science has begun to show more and more beyond a doubt that all the way down to the tiniest of creatures that all things have a will.

Taking the argument one step further, Thomas Nigel's "What is it like to be a Bat?" shows us definitively that it is impossibly beyond our scope of understanding to ever know what it is like to be another entity. As morality has yet to be proven to be anything other than subjective, how could we ever propose to know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether another creature does or does not have any bearing on the understanding of morality?

The argument then follows that all living things may have the capability & capacity for moral & ethical reasoning, therefore all living entities may have the capability & capacity for absolute free-will.

A select group of philosophers would be hard pressed to agree with any of the previous made arguments, but rather would state that absolute free-will does not exist. A prominent argument against the theory of free-will is that of determinism.

Determinism is a behaviorist theory which claims every action is determined by a stimuli; every cause has an effect.

Determinists argue that every thought we think and decision we make has been determined by our past and our environments. Free-will has no room to exist in a reality that is completely comprised of action::reaction. No entity is immune from the influence of its environment, and no thing can escape the actions of its past. I personally tend to agree more with determinism than I do with the idea of free-will.

Source

Absolute free-will argues that one is capable of deciding and acting completely free of the influence of their environment; however, I have shown in my video, Colors are Everything, that even something as simple as the colors in our environment empirically has a definitive effect on our psychology, and perhaps our physiology. If our environment influences the way we think and feel then it follows that one is not free to make decisions without input from the environment in some form or fashion.

Psychology shows that an action conducted by an individual is much more likely of being repeated rather than being replaced by a completely unrelated behavior. Every thought and every action of our past has lead us to the exact place and moment where exist at this very second. When we think, when we act, it is because we have had certain experiences in the past that lead us to react in kind when similar situations are presented.

Determinism argues that there is no room for any kind of free-will; however, it is of my belief that learning to control one's actions is the purpose behind higher order magick.

Alchemists, Yogi, Magi, and many others all throughout time have studied not only the mind, but they studied with extreme discipline their own minds.

These adepts through the ages studiously practiced for years upon years, and often their entire lives, working to achieve a point of understanding with their mind, their environment, and the interaction between the two. Knowing how your mind and your environment interact with one another will give you extremely deep insight into who and what you are. When the adept has mastered his mind and his environment, at this point only does the entity receive free-will.

But I digress, this free-will too is not absolute. Studies show that opportunity is equally, if not more, important as having the capability to complete a task or skill. If one is not given the opportunity to succeed or become an expert at completing a task or a skill, then they may never advance simply because of the state of their environment. Every past thought and action of the adept or the master also influences the entity to act in such a way.

Thus, free-will is severely limited by the environment, and equally limited by the past. Therefore, absolute free-will is naught but an illusion. Entities possess the capacity for fleeting moments of limited free-will [oxymoronic?] while subconsciously convincing itself of absolute free-will.

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7 years ago in #philosophy by alchemage (66)

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waheedk (33) 7 years ago

Nice post. Very detailed. Thank you

the-fillosopher (51) 7 years ago

now that a mind fuck!

the-fillosopher (51) 7 years ago

i think that is correct in that environment has large influence, however being unaffected by surroundings and seeing the balance of good and bad as a necessity is what makes an adept so powerful. thats why we practice, control of our will over influence from environment. :)

alchemage (66) 7 years ago

Absolutely, practice makes ~~perfect~~ better. ;) ;)

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the-fillosopher (51) 7 years ago

hybridna (35) 7 years ago

Great article, Loved it. The conclusion I find to be especially true, and a very poignant claim by Norman Cousins. Thanks for this post @alchemage.x

jphenderson (66) 7 years ago

I would say that free-will in an absolute sense and determinism in an absolute sense are a polarity and that, as with any polarity, things fall somewhere in between them. Many people are almost purely reactionary and respond subconsciously to stimuli and only use their conscious mind to justify their actions. A few have spent time studying themselves and exploring their subconscious tendencies so are able to put a little more thought into their actions instead of just reacting. This gives them more free will but they still can only control their actions of which the choice is limited by situational factors. No one has no free will either. Even if someone has a gun to your head you can still choose not to do what they are saying and get shot.

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