by Terry 159 Replies latest jw friends
To WILL is to accomplish the act of willing, is it not?
No. You're thinking of the mythical Jeehover, whatever he wills to be will be or some such nonsense. For us regular mortal, free will simply means the ability to choose our course of action after weighing the relative merits of each. Has zero to do with getting to the end of the course.
... someone with a substantially higher IQ than average might see an exponentially higher figurative return-on-investment as they gain education and experience in life. (Disclaimer: that doesn't mean they're going to put it to beneficial use.) This would mean the influence of genetics would be more and more pronounced as one ages.
What is a figurative return-on-investment? What does it mean?
What is the "investment"?
Mozart ended up in a pauper's grave, did he not?
How about FREE SPEECH? Is it still "free" speech if you only "attempt" to accomplish it?
Do you think about what you are posting before you press "submit"?
Clearly more than you do.
Will != Accomplishment. You might want to google free will so you know what it means.Of course, since I am such a nice guy, I'll do it for you.
the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
The ability to choose one's actions, or determine what reasons are acceptable motivation for actions; The doctrine that human beings (and possibly other beings, such angels or higher animals) are able to choose their actions without being caused to do so by external forces
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/free_will
the partial freedom of the agent, in acts of conscious choice, from the determining compulsion of heredity, environment and circumstance.
www.willdurant.com/glossary.htm
Freedom of self-determination and action independent of external causes.
www.carm.org/secular-movements/atheism/terms-and-definitions
You should take note that none of those in any way made reference to accomplishing your choice. I think where you miss the target is that the very action of making the choice exercises your free will, not accomplishing it, much like saying (or writing) what you think exercises your free speech. No one has to care or listen and you don't have to be right about what you are saying to exercise your freedom of speech.
Make sense?
Yeah, I'm not talking about money at all, that's why I put in figurative. I'm just trying to say someone with a lot higher intelligence might be able to apply, discern things, and build upon what they learn and experience to a far greater degree than the average person who learns and experiences the same things. To that extent, the gap between two people with identical education and life experiences, but different genetics would become more pronounced as they aged.
Mozart ended up in a pauper's grave, did he not?
He died making a living and was buried in a commoner's (not pauper's) grave, as was the custom of non nobility and non wealthy at the time.
Terry: To WILL is to accomplish the act of willing, is it not?
No. You're thinking of the mythical Jeehover, whatever he wills to be will be or some such nonsense.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Terry: You know what I'm thinking??
_____________________________________________________________________________________
For us regular mortal, free will simply means the ability to choose our course of action after weighing the relative merits of each. Has zero to do with getting to the end of the course.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Terry: Well, here is a question for you.
How do you know you are free in your weighing relative merits rather than imagining you are free?
Such as those pathetic people who audition for American Idol who strongly believe they have talent but have none. Isn't there an equally likely error that we can self-deceive about other abilities---such as the "ability to choose our course of action after weighing the relative merits of each." ???
I think where you miss the target is that the very action of making the choice exercises your free will, not accomplishing it, much like saying (or writing) what you think exercises your free speech. No one has to care or listen and you don't have to be right about what you are saying to exercise your freedom of speech.
Make sense?
Let's see if it does make sense.
A citizen, in order to possess the right of Free Speech only has to exercise the mental activity of THINKING about the speech RATHER THAN ACTUALLY
ENGAGING in the speech itself.......is that your opinion of what Free Speech is?
If that is your opinion, then, I can certainly see why you think FREE WILL consists of only THINKING YOU HAVE IT rather than engaging in an actual choice.
Such as those pathetic people who audition for American Idol who strongly believe they have talent but have none.
OTOH, some of them really CAN sing.
Isn't there an equally likely error that we can self-deceive about other abilities---such as the "ability to choose our course of action after weighing the relative merits of each." ???
Oh, sure. Some people are better at making decisions than others. For instance, some people like to make sure they know what something means before they argue for or against it, say for instance, free will. Other people...not so much. Some people are simply better at making decisions that others and weighing critera.
However, your example is a false premise because exercising free will does not infer ability to act on that will or accomplish it. If a 400 lb. fried donut eater decides to run a marathon tomorrow, he ain't gonna make it, but he certainly has the free will to decide to try.
In a larger sense, the 400 lb guy can lose weight and start training and might well one day be able to run a marathon. A quadripeligic might not have that same opportunity, but he does have free will in other areas. IOW, free will does not necessarily mean that every person is free to act on every will.
There is a man in a room with a desk, a chair, a bed, books and a window.
There are bars on the window and outside the room is a barbed wire fence, a stonewall and a guntower.
The man feels in his mind free to go and come as he pleases. Yet, he does not do so.
Does the man possess FREE WILL?
Let us amend the above.
There are two men in the room with a desk, two chairs, etc.
Both men feel free in their respective mins to go and come as they please.
Are either or both of these men free?
A final word.
One of these men is a mental patient with no comprehension that he has been committed for life.
The other of these men is a psychiatrist who comes to work each day and chats with the patient.
Now, are either or both of these men (who individually believe in their own mind they are free to come and go at will) actually in possession
of FREE WILL?
A citizen, in order to possess the right of Free Speech only has to exercise the mental activity of THINKING about the speech RATHER THAN ACTUALLY ENGAGING in the speech itself.......is that your opinion of what Free Speech is?
That is not at all what I said. I said that merely speaking (or writing) one's opinion accomplishes free speech. I also said that was not dependant on anyone else listening or caring.
If that is your opinion, then, I can certainly see why you think FREE WILL consists of only THINKING YOU HAVE IT rather than engaging in an actual choice.
That's not at all what I wrote. And I never said that free will only consisted of thinking that you have it. I said it does not imply accomplishing the choice of the will.
