From: Guru George (gurugeorge@sugarland.idiscover.co.uk)
Date: Mon Feb 03 1997 - 15:46:48 MST
On Sun, 2 Feb 1997 10:13:55 -0500
mikec@jax.gulfnet.com (Mike Cowar.) wrote:
>If you have free will you are self-determined.
>
Exactly right! The concept has been taken out of the political or
social context where it belongs and misused in tendentious metaphysical
arguments where it has no meaning.
Think on this all you metaphysicians out there: would you say an atom
could or couldn't have free will?
Then how come you see sense in the idea that human beings can be
determined?
(Of course a human being could be determined by constrained by all kinds
of gross pushes and pulls, by all kinds of entities at the level of the
middle sized furniture of the world, including other people. I am
constrained by the walls of a maze, for instance. But that's not enough
for you metaphysicians is it?)
Everyone folowing this thread should check out "Elbow Room" by Dennett,
god of philosophers.
Guru George
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 14:44:07 MST