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Free will is a lie.

GuyInWhiteGuyInWhite
edited 2011-01-29 22:30:56 in Philosophy
Morgan Freeman is God
Scientists these days are trying more and more to prove that every moment in time is the result of a previous state. I once read in Scientific American about a radical new idea that proposes that the information used to determine a specific particle's present behavior is stored in the future as well as the past, meaning that the universe could have a destiny.

And, you know what? 

I'm perfectly fine with this.

I'm not going to let something like free will being an illusion prevent me from enjoying my life. After all, what's the point of living if you're honestly incapable of enjoying life for what it is because you can't come to terms with the truth?

Comments

  • glennmagusharveyglennmagusharvey
    edited 2011-01-30 00:32:05
    Creature - Florida Dragon Turtle Human
    Free Willy's not a lie! Okay, especially being a mod, I really shouldn't have derailed a thread for lulz in the first response.
  • GuyInWhiteGuyInWhite
    Morgan Freeman is God
    You know, when I post in the "Philosophy" category, I at least expect a serious response.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    I don't see why the question of free will is important. You're going to try to pick the option that's best for you whether there's free will or not.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    See also Thou Art Physics.

    Man, it just didn't feel like IJBM without the lesswrong links.
  • LongfellowLongfellow
    La vie en rose
    I remember discussing free will with friends on the streets of Gothenburg--a fine place to talk philosophy.

    Still doesn't make sense to me. Free will seems to me a wholly unnecessary concept no matter how deterministic or not our universe is.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    Imagine that a scientist defines "love" as a psychic connection, and then, knowing that little evidence for ESP has prevented itself, publishes an article telling the world that science has debunked love, not realizing that this is not how most people define the idea of love.
  • LouieWLouieW
    edited 2011-01-30 12:47:00
    Loser
    I think I agree with Myrmidon here. I thought the idea of free will had to do with consciously making choices. As long as people have the ability to consider their options and decide I think that free will certainly exists.

    Now, of course one's options will be affected by other factors. People do not live in vacuums after all (at least no one I know does) nor do people have the capability to control the entire world as far as I know. Yet, I do not believe those facts make everything predetermined.

    Sorry, I admit that I am not an expert on this subject by any means so I might have said a bunch of garbage here.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    Yeah, I guess this debate(?) would be a lot simpler if there was a single definition of free will.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    Most people define "no free will" as either being remote-controlled by another human being or having your own conscious thoughts having no causal relations with your actions.

    The second one might be true, but it has little to do with whether or not the universe is deterministic.
  • SongOfSaltSongOfSalt
    I once read in Scientific American about a radical new idea that proposes that the information used to determine a specific particle's present behavior is stored in the future as well as the past, meaning that the universe could have a destiny.

    That's interesting could you link that?  If it's online I mean.
  • GuyInWhiteGuyInWhite
    Morgan Freeman is God
    I can't seem to find it online, but I'm sure it's there somewhere.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    edited 2011-02-02 22:39:34
    Oh that's nice.

    People like you ruined a good three months of my life.
  • TnopheliaTnophelia
    Free Will is not a lie.

    Free Will is magic.
  • snowbullsnowbull
    Cue-bey
    ^^only three months?
  • VorpyVorpy
    ☭Unstoppable Sex Goddess☭
    Free will is not a law of the universe, but it is a term applied to behaviors exhibited by sentient creatures who can choose what and what not to do.
  • PykretePykrete
    Even if all thought was completely causal, the factors involved are far too complex and intricate to track or predict meaningfully, and for practical purposes we can probably consider ourselves beings of free will.
  • BastionBastion
    smote
    Most people define "no free will" as either being remote-controlled by another human being or having your own conscious thoughts having no causal relations with your actions.

    The latter always distresses me. Makes life very "And I Must Scream" sometimes.
  • TheMightyAnonymTheMightyAnonym
    ~♥YES♥~! I *AM* a ~♥cupcake♥~! ^_^
    "Most
    people define "no free will" as either being remote-controlled by
    another human being or having your own conscious thoughts having no
    causal relations with your actions."

    Interesting. It seems to me that those previous events themselves are part of consciousness, and thus part of free will itself.
  • Super LazuliSuper Lazuli
    yea i make potions if ya know what i mean





    Ignore Myrmidon, Song of Salt.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    I was talking to Guy In White.
  • randomtropeloserrandomtropeloser
    Free will, depending on how you define it, can be affected by any number of factors, so if the only thing you consider free will is the completely unaffected sort, then I suppose free will is (mostly) a lie.
  • Super LazuliSuper Lazuli
    yea i make potions if ya know what i mean
    ^^So?
  • IcalasariIcalasari
    No rainbow star
    This line of thought scares me quite a bit, actually

    Partly because I'm scared as hell of death and cling desperately to the idea of an after life, and the idea of no free will would mean that there is, almost without a doubt, no after life

    The evidence is flaky as it is D:
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