Comments on: Neither free nor completely determined http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/ Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:08:56 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: George Ortega http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-920 George Ortega Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:13:20 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-920 The problem for free will is that both determinism and randomness make it impossible. Most importantly, there is no third option. The problem for free will is that both determinism and randomness make it impossible. Most importantly, there is no third option.

]]> By: therm-instal http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-919 therm-instal Tue, 29 May 2012 21:31:21 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-919 some truly nice and useful information on this internet site , besides I think the style and design has got superb features. some truly nice and useful information on this internet site , besides I think the style and design has got superb features.

]]> By: Agueda Ell http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-918 Agueda Ell Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:48:17 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-918 I really like this weblog, will certainly come back again. Please proceed producing quality content. I really like this weblog, will certainly come back again. Please proceed producing quality content.

]]> By: Percy Cajucom http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-917 Percy Cajucom Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:40:30 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-917 I got what you intend, saved to fav, very decent web site . I got what you intend, saved to fav, very decent web site .

]]> By: Anderson Burkes http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-916 Anderson Burkes Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:36:19 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-916 Wow, awesome weblog structure! How long have you been blogging for? you make running a blog glance easy. The full glance of your web site is magnificent, as smartly the content! Wow, awesome weblog structure! How long have you been blogging for? you make running a blog glance easy. The full glance of your web site is magnificent, as smartly the content!

]]> By: Kayla Ritchie http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-915 Kayla Ritchie Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:13:07 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-915 Wow, Greg, I just watched that video you posted that says everything I just said. I am a fool. Wow, Greg, I just watched that video you posted that says everything I just said. I am a fool.

]]> By: Kayla Ritchie http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-914 Kayla Ritchie Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:49:37 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-914 Unfortunately, Josh, the proper response you proposed does not address many of the issues associated with free will. In particular, one of the main concerns about free will has to do with assigning personal responsibility in social and legal contexts. Say, for example, as we've already seen in certain cases, a man named Barry commits murder, but does so as a diagnosed, unmedicated schizophrenic. Do we hold him responsible? His defense attorney would likely convince the judge that Barry is not responsible, because his brain has a defect that affects his decision making. So here, we've assigned free will, and the responsibility we attribute to free agents, to healthy, non-schizophrenic brains. But what if we found that all people who had murdered had a very specific brain abnormality. Hitler, the green river killer, John Wilkes Booth - all of them had the same defect in an area of their brain associated with, say, emotional processing, a lesion which when induced in lab mice led to anxiety and murderous ( if mice can murder?) tendencies. Do we now absolve our killers? Send them from high-security prisons to mental institutions? Or, on the other hand, what if we could somehow trace the cause of a person's decision using some awesome time/space/crazy math calculations? What if you could accurately attribute a specific person's high GPA to presence of a certain neurotransmitter simultaneously combined with a specific home environment? Can you still call that person "smart"? Do laziness, intelligence, cruelty or compassion still count as attributes of a personality? Or are they now simply phenotypes? In short, our notion of free will affects not only the functioning of an individual, but that of society as well. Greg is good to point out that scientific accounts of human nature often conflict with and confound other approaches. It's easy to say that there is no free will, that the Behaviorists are right, and consciousness doesn't even exist! But it's important to note that as of yet, science has actually revealed very little about the nature of decision making, consciousness, or even the perception of color. Let's hope that as we begin to scratch the surface of the mind, there will be reason for optimism. Unfortunately, Josh, the proper response you proposed does not address many of the issues associated with free will. In particular, one of the main concerns about free will has to do with assigning personal responsibility in social and legal contexts.
Say, for example, as we’ve already seen in certain cases, a man named Barry commits murder, but does so as a diagnosed, unmedicated schizophrenic. Do we hold him responsible? His defense attorney would likely convince the judge that Barry is not responsible, because his brain has a defect that affects his decision making. So here, we’ve assigned free will, and the responsibility we attribute to free agents, to healthy, non-schizophrenic brains.
But what if we found that all people who had murdered had a very specific brain abnormality. Hitler, the green river killer, John Wilkes Booth – all of them had the same defect in an area of their brain associated with, say, emotional processing, a lesion which when induced in lab mice led to anxiety and murderous ( if mice can murder?) tendencies. Do we now absolve our killers? Send them from high-security prisons to mental institutions?
Or, on the other hand, what if we could somehow trace the cause of a person’s decision using some awesome time/space/crazy math calculations? What if you could accurately attribute a specific person’s high GPA to presence of a certain neurotransmitter simultaneously combined with a specific home environment? Can you still call that person “smart”? Do laziness, intelligence, cruelty or compassion still count as attributes of a personality? Or are they now simply phenotypes?

In short, our notion of free will affects not only the functioning of an individual, but that of society as well.

Greg is good to point out that scientific accounts of human nature often conflict with and confound other approaches. It’s easy to say that there is no free will, that the Behaviorists are right, and consciousness doesn’t even exist! But it’s important to note that as of yet, science has actually revealed very little about the nature of decision making, consciousness, or even the perception of color. Let’s hope that as we begin to scratch the surface of the mind, there will be reason for optimism.

]]> By: Joshua Waldron http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2011/06/21/neither-free-nor-completely-determined/#comment-913 Joshua Waldron Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:29:56 +0000 http://blogs.bu.edu/ombs/?p=2856#comment-913 There is a small movement within Christian circles that emphasizes divine determinism, based on some of the same points raised here. The proper response seems to be continuing to "make" decisions and deal with the consequences regardless of whether or not you actually "chose" them. There is a small movement within Christian circles that emphasizes divine determinism, based on some of the same points raised here.

The proper response seems to be continuing to “make” decisions and deal with the consequences regardless of whether or not you actually “chose” them.

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