Shotsie |
12-03-2011 05:55 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by u-Bob
(Post 18602056)
1. I already addressed that. You make a decision based on the information that is available to you at the time.
2. You're using circular arguments (circular reasoning / logical fallacy).
|
No, i'm not using circular arguments, you're using a strawman argument by saying that i'm using a circular argument. Without realizing it, you actually put up a strong argument for determinism right here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by u-Bob
(Post 18601347)
In this world of scarcity, things happen. It rains, the sun shines, there can be a hurricane, a drought etc. There's a limited supply of water, wood, oil, iron... And there's a limited amount of 'fuel' in your body. Those are the facts of life. Those are things that define the physical world we live in.
|
I am not arguing against the existence of free will; I am saying that free will alone does not determine your fate. All of those "facts of life" that you have no control over have an influence on your fate. Free will and predetermined fate are not mutually exclusive. You have no decision whether or not you're going to get struck by a car, thus it could be argued that your fate is predetermined.
Free will is an illusion to a certain extent since there are far more predetermined factors affecting our actions on a day to day basis than truly free choices. It could be said that the universe shows evidence of a designing or controlling power that has more control over our fate than we do ourselves. If we are all responsible for our own actions, that means that we must also be responsible for our mental state, but it's impossible for someone to be responsible for the way they are in respect to that. By your reasoning, a retard can become a billionare if he wills it; a woman who walks down a dark alley late at night and gets raped is responsible for it because she chose to walk down that alley.
How a person acts is a product of prior events and genetic makeup. In other words, We can will what we do, but we cannot will what we will, and in that sense we are not all truly acting of our own free will.
And how does denying the existence of free will deny personal responsibility?
|