by logansrun 56 Replies latest jw friends
Me too! (well sometimes I do just a little bit of evil crap, for fun)
The most evil thing I often feel like doing is taking a rocket launcher and blowing up the old man who cuts me off and only goes 35mph in a 50mph zone.
We have a lot of them around here. It's especially annoying in a no-passing zone and when I have somewhere to be.
I have to do some evil crap every so often so that satan will keep me looking young and beautiful. Its part of the contract.
I have to do some evil crap every so often so that satan will keep me looking young and beautiful.
If that's the case then Keith Richards must be a saint. I'm not sure if he's transforming into a troll or a sharpei.
but you don't do it because of a reason. not because of a random decision. right?
Satan makes me do it. Its not my fault.
Anything can be denied.
There is no pin...
I regret that there still seems to be a lot of metaphysical confustion regarding this topic.
Sonnyboy,
Yes, an identical twin raised in an identical enviornment -- that is, down to the last detail -- indeed would perform the same actions. Of course, this is just a thought experiment that would never happen since no twin is ever raised in in exactly the same enviornment as someone else. Everyone's life experiences/external stimuli are completely unique.
You seem to be stating that free will is somehow not connected to brain states. Tell me how this is possible.
Katie,
A deterministic worldview does not negate the fact of responsibility. But it does ease the amount of vindicitiveness we can show towards people who do "evil" deeds, as well as praise and pride for "good" deeds we or others do. There is a big difference between responsibility and blame, between regret and shame and between feeling good over an action and feeling good over oneself. None of the actions we take is purely from some sort of Platonic essence which is "us." We are an ever changing process. When we deeply come to this realization we can focus more on what people do instead of the "essence" of the individual.
B.
Yes, an identical twin raised in an identical enviornment -- that is, down to the last detail -- indeed would perform the same actions.
You can't possibly believe this. Even though their genetic makeup would be the same, they'd still be individuals with their own likes and dislikes.
If what you say is true then the twins would have to work at the same job, drive the same type of car, and marry another set of identical twins. They'd wear the same clothes and think the same thoughts.
I could be wrong, but this sounds highly unlikely.
I guess I am of the branch of psychology that just looks at results, not underlying motives. I studied psychology at 'A' level, but I cant be bothered to remember all the proper words - sorry.
I dont give a crap about underlying motives most of the time (sometimes I do when I think its useful to solving the problem). The harsh reality is that the world doesnt have time to analyse motives. Action - consequence. No time to examine the minuate of life that caused the action. Theft - prison. Face like a slapped arse - no friends. Cant finish the exam - no accreditation.
The only time we can be bothered to look at the details of why is when we love someone. Then we are willing to spend time looking for mitigating circumstances to lessen the amout of blame we assign to that person.
Or if there is a documentary on telly showing that Jack the Ripper (the modern day one in the North of England, not the historical one in London) had a brutal father who humiliated his mother infront of him and set up some kind of violent hatred for women coupled with a desire to humiliate prostitutes. Even after understanding the man, I still think he received the correct punishment, and I have little time in my life to analyse how much I assign to blaming him as a person, compared to blaming his actions motivated by circumstances. Lifes too short. He means nothing to me.
Sonny,
What else makes you you besides your genes and the enviornment you experience and interact with? What other element is there? Tell me.
Katie,
Like I said, punishment and responsibility are necessary things in a civil society. I'm for them. If you wish to have just a surface understanding of people's actions then by all means, don't think about underlying causes.
B.
