Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Much Sorry with Delays
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Saturday, January 6. 2024

Free Will


Free will vs. Determinism is a fun college dorm topic. Of course, we all know that it is a false dichotomy.


However, in our world it seems to be useful to human dignity to give people credit for some choices in life, for better or worse. Yeah, I get that unconscious forces, genetic tendencies, talents, flaws, luck, etc have huge power in everyone's life, but Will and Choice is a good, if high, standard. High standards are good and make life better for everybody.


Sometimes I wonder whether this is mainly a Western Civilization concern. 


Here's a discussion:  Determinism versus free will, a false dichotomy 


Posted by Bird Dog at 13:48 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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So were we destined to have this bullshxt college dorm discussion, or did we enter into it of our own free will?
#1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2024-01-06 16:13 (Reply)
We enter into of it of our own free will but at the same time it was predetermined. That's the paradox of predestination vs free will. The individual is free to choose but at the same time it can be argued that the decision was predetermined.
#1.1 feeblemind on 2024-01-07 14:16 (Reply)
Free will is a Christian practice but observing church doctrine and observing how that doctrine is practiced leaves a huge gap in actual living within the doctrine.
Is a vegan still a vegan if they consume meat every other day?

It is useful in a religious context but is absolutely abhorred by all the modern day authoritarian governments... ours included.
#2 indyjonesouthere on 2024-01-06 16:46 (Reply)
Is a vegan still a vegan if they consume meat every other day?

I dunno. If they only eat on alternate days, are they half-fast?
#2.1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2024-01-06 22:26 (Reply)
The question troubled me years, ever decades ago, until one day while driving alone and reflecting on the route I had chosen I considered that we are aware of some of our choices being less free, perhaps even highly constrained. Therefore, some choices are more free than others; therefore, some degree of freedom exists. Certainly, we may deceive ourselves on any individual decision, even all decisions to a greater or lesser extent. Yet the base fact remains: if some choices are clearly less free, some choices must be more free. It may be tenuous, or perhaps attenuated would be a better word, but it is there.
#3 Assistant Village Idiot on 2024-01-07 03:51 (Reply)
Two thoughts:
He is Free who lives as he chooses. Epictetus Discourses Book IV

I was destined to be a Calvinist. (predestination)
But I chose to be an Armenian. (free will)
#4 Jan Peter Blickenstaff on 2024-01-07 09:17 (Reply)

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