Re: Free Will?

From: John T Lowry (jlowry100_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 03/07/05 

Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 18:36:19 GMT

"Josh" <googlemyass@undertone.com> wrote in message
news:1110219538.260735.22170@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> OK, I'm in a philosophical discussion group and all these assholes
> keep
> arguing that there isn't any scientific evidence to support the idea
> of
> free will. AFAIK, determinism went out with Newton, and modern physics
> has shown that the universe does not behave as clockwork, and that
> consciousness has some real power to affect physical reality, breaking
> the chain of causation, possibly through quantum processes in the
> brain, etc... So, what's the final word folks???
>

Too difficult a question, with too many ramifications, for a newsgroup
discussion. I suggest you start with something like the first section
(Determinism, Freedom, and Moral Responsibility) of Edwards and Pap
(editors) A Modern Introduction to Philosophy.

Also, science is not far enough along to have a "final word" on
ANYTHING, IMO.

You might ask them what scientific evidence there is AGAINST free will.
We have these "free" feelings, but as Schopenhauer said, "A man can
surely do what he wills (I would add, "in some cases"), but he cannot
determine what he wills."

John Lowry, PhD
Flight Physics

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