Expectation, Irony and Free Determinism
Often free will and determinism are confounded by free and deterministic actions in daily life. Someone will say they are free because they have enough money to do what they want, or someone will feel secure or constrained in their unchanging daily routine. These actions don't prove anything about whether there are multiple possibilities for any action in the universe or there is ultimately only one possibility for any action.
I consider it ironic that deterministic actions like following a routine are necessary proof for free will. If you set out to follow a routine or rules and it was impossible it would be evident that you didnt have choice. By the same token free actions often take place in circumstances where you are not exercising much control so it leaves a question as to whether they are determined.
This leads me to think of an ironic test for this nature of reality. Hypothetically if one were to study a predictable event such as something that happens at the same time and same place and were to make a plan to change it from happening, these two determinisms of regularity and planning would result in an exercise of free will. You might say that proves nothing and that plan you created was your one and only course of action and I will have no response but to just marvel at the ironic nature of reality
I consider it ironic that deterministic actions like following a routine are necessary proof for free will. If you set out to follow a routine or rules and it was impossible it would be evident that you didnt have choice. By the same token free actions often take place in circumstances where you are not exercising much control so it leaves a question as to whether they are determined.
This leads me to think of an ironic test for this nature of reality. Hypothetically if one were to study a predictable event such as something that happens at the same time and same place and were to make a plan to change it from happening, these two determinisms of regularity and planning would result in an exercise of free will. You might say that proves nothing and that plan you created was your one and only course of action and I will have no response but to just marvel at the ironic nature of reality
Comments (10)
You are a slave to your programming which is your master.
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Your programming (that determines your thoughts/words/actions)
1. Likes
2. Dislikes
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If you
3. Do/like what you like
4. Don't do/dislike what you dislike
you're not free.
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To be (truly) free you must rebel against your master (your programming)
To be free you must
5. Do/like what you dislike
6. Don't do/dislike what you like
Free will is then as per Buddhism one face of dukkhs.
Free [s]will[/s]won't. Negation (NO) is the secret to free will.
Note: One likes to be free. So in saying "NO!" you're following your programming, simultaneously saying "YES" to something else (freedom) i.e. we're not out of the woods yet! One might then believe we should reject freedom to in order to be really free, but then this is again because you like and want freedom ... the negation of freedom is an affirmation of freedom. It's a friggin' loop, oui monsieur?
It's kinda a paradox: What do you like the most? Freedom! Therefore, to be most free, one must reject freedom. What do you dislike the most? Slavery. Therefore, to be most free, one must embrace slavery. Still, one isn't free in that one is doing all this for the reason that one likes freedom. I tried to extricate myself from this vicious cycle, but I failed every single time.
:chin: It appears to be one big scam or I'm missing something. The latter most likely.
Yesterday I listened to a discussion on NPR of the role of rituals in life. They talked about watching a basketball player about to take a shot. If the player goes through a mini-ritual most spectators think he will make the shot, as opposed to a player who doesn't. I don't think this behavior has much to do with free will.
That's the extent of my knowledge of free will.
That's ok, free will is a hairy problem. It's, as some would say, the pacyhderm in the room - it's existence/nonexistence is vital to us, but people prefer to discuss other, what I feel are, less-important, less-sensitive, stuff.