Tagged philosophy (Blog)

• Jan 7, 2024, 9:49 PM -05:00

  The Problem With Saying That Free Will Is an Illusion

  On why arguing that free will is an illusion doesn't make any sense

  I recently finished watching Bodies on Netflix and the concept of free will comes up a fair bit given that the show involves a predestination paradox. One of the characters voices the opinion that, in his words, "free will is an illusion" because human choices are ultimately the result of physics and biology. Humans choices, in other words, are predetermined, and that means that the free will doesn't exist.

  The character in question is acting as a mouthpiece for the notion of incompatibilism, the idea that free will and determinism are mutually exclusive concepts. It's the most common way that the free will debate is framed. If you accept the idea of incompatibilism, then you can either believe in determinism (usually considered the rational choice) or you can believe in free will (usually considered the irrational or emotional choice). But you can't believe in both. The character, being a scientist, believes in determinism, hence his assertion that free will is an illusion.

  Read more »

• May 13, 2014, 12:59 AM -04:00

  On Billiard Balls and Scorched Cats

  I once got into a relatively lively email debate with a friend of mine concerning the nature of free will. One of us argued that we had it and the other argued that we didn't. The exchange ended when he sent me an email explaining that he was agitated and losing sleep over the matter.

  My life is weird sometimes.

  People hear that story and often assume that my friend was the one who believed in free will and that I was one who didn't but in reality the reverse was true. I believed in free will; my friend did not.

  Read more »

• Jul 15, 2007, 6:23 PM -04:00

  Seeing Green

  Evelyn's birthday passed a few months ago. We were at a bar with her friends and I somehow got into a discussion with some guy about the nature of seeing green.

  I'm sure the thought has run though many people's heads in some form or another. It basically goes like this: what if your green is not my green? Ignoring colour-blindness, when I look at the grass I register it as "green" and so do you. We are both, of course, able to verbalize this, but there's no way to tell if we're really seeing the same "green". What if "green" to you is really what I consider to be "red"? There'd be no way of knowing - you'd still call it "green", it's still the colour we both associate with grass, etc.

  Read more »