for questions concerning the freedom of choice of rational agents (often as opposed to determinism)
Questions tagged [free-will]
388 questions
62
votes
19 answers
In which way does quantum mechanics disprove determinism?
I've heard this pop up in a discussion with my physicist/engineer roommates, but didn't care to ask at the time. Now I'm mighty curious about it. Wikipedia doesn't really seem to say much on this issue.
From what I understand about the Uncertainty…
glifchits
- 723
- 1
- 6
- 8
42
votes
10 answers
What is the difference between free-will and randomness and or non-determinism?
In relation to the question "What are the necessary conditions for an action to be regarded as a free choice?", it came up that one way to insure the possibility of free-will was to have more than one choice. But that doesn't separate free-will from…
Mitch
- 3,283
- 1
- 22
- 30
40
votes
13 answers
What are the necessary conditions for an action to be regarded as a free choice?
A common philosophical question revolves around the existence of free will, but what I've found is that these debates seem to gloss over the concept of "free will" itself, either taking it as a given that everyone understands what the term really…
Speldosa
- 657
- 5
- 10
26
votes
11 answers
Does the lack of randomness imply the lack of free will?
Let us assume that randomness does not exist. For example, even the flip of a coin is not considered random. The coin's flip can be calculated if certain variables are given (the force used for the flip, air resistance, distance from the ground,…
aanrv
- 363
- 3
- 7
22
votes
6 answers
How can free will in compatibilism be proven?
Having very recently started getting interested in philosophy, I'm still halfway through my first book (Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy, by Simon Blackburn, as recommended in this question).
Before reading it, it was my belief that we…
JNat
- 716
- 1
- 9
- 21
21
votes
2 answers
How does Nietzsche define and characterize "freedom" throughout his works?
My basic question concerns the meaning of freedom in Nietzsche's work. Nietzsche suggests that, in reality, a will can never be absolutely "free" or "unfree"—rather, any particular will is going to be strong or weak to some actual degree, ruling…
Joseph Weissman
- 9,432
- 8
- 47
- 86
20
votes
3 answers
How do defenders of libertarian freewill reconcile it with constraints imposed by the laws of physics?
Libertarian freewill is the position that we have some measure of metaphysical freewill. Per this position, a free agent at a given point in time is able to freely select a course of action among several possible courses of action, i.e. given the…
Alexander S King
- 26,984
- 5
- 64
- 187
19
votes
7 answers
Does compatibilism imply that a chess program has free will?
I am puzzled by compatibilism and am trying to understand what it means using a test example. Given that a typical chess program generates several choices, evaluates them with a goal of winning and chooses a specific option, would this imply that it…
Harshavardhan
- 311
- 1
- 5
19
votes
8 answers
Is free will reconcilable with a purely physical world?
Many are of the opinion that there is no metaphysical world beyond the material that we can sense, and that everything is therefore governed by physical cause and effect (some believe that we cannot know if there is anything beyond our world, but…
commando
- 7,281
- 6
- 37
- 69
16
votes
14 answers
Testing Free Will
Could we ever come up with an experiment that is able to explain once and for all if free will exists or not? Another way to put it: given a universe and agents acting within it, is it possible for such agents to determine whether or not they…
Yamar69
- 534
- 3
- 10
16
votes
15 answers
Why do people still believe in free will?
If we assume that macro-scale matter like we have in brains only acts in ways that are caused, then would not all actions in human behavior be a result of prior physical events beginning with development from conception? Alternatively, if you look…
Tjeerd Geerts
- 195
- 1
- 3
16
votes
4 answers
Why do modern materialists tend to favor determinism?
There seems to be no logical link between matter and determinism (or ideal and indeterminism for that matter). And libertarian free will was first articulated by a materialist, Epicurus, and is defended at length in Lucretius's famous poem. The…
Conifold
- 42,225
- 4
- 92
- 180
13
votes
1 answer
What counters are there to Spinoza's argument that acts of free will create infinite regress?
My 16-to-21-year-old self was very preoccupied with free will. When I was 21 years old I rejected the notion as ill-defined as both my reason and my inner experience told me that my will was caused and had to be caused. I thought that people who…
ymar
- 534
- 4
- 10
13
votes
16 answers
Does the notion of an all-powerful God conflict with the idea of free will?
In Abrahamic religions, God is often believed to be wholly omnipotent. People also seem to believe that humans have "free will", especially insofar that they feel they are in control of their own actions.
Regardless of whether these beliefs are…
apoorv020
- 873
- 2
- 9
- 15
13
votes
5 answers
How can a stream of thoughts and perceptions have freewill?
William James believed that there was no central entity or ego that embodied the "I" in "I feel" or "I think". That the continuous stream of thoughts and sensations generated the illusion of their being a central entity doing the thinking and…
Alexander S King
- 26,984
- 5
- 64
- 187