From: Charles D Hixson (charleshixsn@earthlink.net)
Date: Mon May 15 2006 - 13:48:11 MDT
John K Clark wrote:
> Kevin.Osborne Wrote:
>
>> So you've either got free will or you matter to the future
> Free will? I'll tell you if you have free will or not just as soon as you
> tell me what the bizarre term could possibly mean. I think free will is
> one of those ideas that are so bad it's not even wrong.
> John K Clark
Well, when discussing "protectors" Larry Niven argued that free will is
a result of insufficient information, insufficient intelligence, and
muddled purposes acting in combination. If you know what the result of
an action would be, and you know whether you would approve of the result
or not, then you have no sensible free will with regard to that action.
If he's right, and I can't see why he wouldn't be, then perhaps free
will isn't something particularly desirable.
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