I've just assumed it's far beyond my pay grade. Similar to Augustine's thoughts on God. "That which you know is not God. If you think you understand , you have failed". I have far more mundane concerns to occupy my time.
Thought provoking! Was I fated to read your essay? I think I'm with you on your intermediate stance that it does not matter. Who I am is slightly different after reading it. Slightly more educated. Slightly more introspective. Slightly more "amour fati." That's what matters.
Herein lies the crux of the determinist's arguments (from a quoted conclusion):
"The laws of nature are uniform throughout, and these laws do not accommodate the concept of free will."
The author of that statement is asserting something that has no factual basis. The known "laws of nature" such as they are, have a constrained range of applicability and even then, for the most part, only provide useful approximations. There are no known universal laws that are uniform throughout. That is just a fantasy afflicting people obsessed with the pseudo-philosophy of mathematicism.
Mathematicism is a modern variant on Platonism. Its proponents believe perfect mathematics underlies and determines the nature of physical reality. There is no scientific basis for such a belief but it is pervasive in the modern scientific academy. Consequently, the standard models of Modern Theoretical Physics have lost all contact with the observable and measurable reality that they purport to represent.
Determinism is just an irrational offshoot of mathematicism. As in the quote above its proponents believe in the existence of immutable natural laws that have controlled the Universe of their creation myth ever since its alleged origin 13.8 billion years ago. So according to these delusional folks some mathematical gears that started grinding way back then led inexorably to what you had for breakfast this morning.
Of course these all controlling mathematical gears cannot be specified - determinists cannot predict what you will have for breakfast tomorrow let alone what color socks you'll wear - but rest assured they want you to believe that you will have no choice in the matter because its all controlled by the math.
Nobody should lose sleep over determinism; its just an irrational modern day superstition with a fake science degree.
You probably don't actually need to technically believe in free will for any of the sense of agency that you want. I'd bet that it's only by being convinced that you need that particular metaphysical conviction to operate agentically that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that you need it, and the cost is that your truth-seeking motivation is compromised, at least in this area. Maybe: act more, be consciously volitional and deliberate as needed, and think less about the topic?
I've just assumed it's far beyond my pay grade. Similar to Augustine's thoughts on God. "That which you know is not God. If you think you understand , you have failed". I have far more mundane concerns to occupy my time.
If you've not seen this take on Sisyphus
https://vimeo.com/23083554
Yeah now that I've gotten this essay out of my system, I'm going back to not thinking about it!
You might enjoy this article that argues causality does not imply determinism:
https://newideal.aynrand.org/is-free-will-magic/
Thought provoking! Was I fated to read your essay? I think I'm with you on your intermediate stance that it does not matter. Who I am is slightly different after reading it. Slightly more educated. Slightly more introspective. Slightly more "amour fati." That's what matters.
Yes I'm going back to not thinking about it now!
Herein lies the crux of the determinist's arguments (from a quoted conclusion):
"The laws of nature are uniform throughout, and these laws do not accommodate the concept of free will."
The author of that statement is asserting something that has no factual basis. The known "laws of nature" such as they are, have a constrained range of applicability and even then, for the most part, only provide useful approximations. There are no known universal laws that are uniform throughout. That is just a fantasy afflicting people obsessed with the pseudo-philosophy of mathematicism.
Mathematicism is a modern variant on Platonism. Its proponents believe perfect mathematics underlies and determines the nature of physical reality. There is no scientific basis for such a belief but it is pervasive in the modern scientific academy. Consequently, the standard models of Modern Theoretical Physics have lost all contact with the observable and measurable reality that they purport to represent.
Determinism is just an irrational offshoot of mathematicism. As in the quote above its proponents believe in the existence of immutable natural laws that have controlled the Universe of their creation myth ever since its alleged origin 13.8 billion years ago. So according to these delusional folks some mathematical gears that started grinding way back then led inexorably to what you had for breakfast this morning.
Of course these all controlling mathematical gears cannot be specified - determinists cannot predict what you will have for breakfast tomorrow let alone what color socks you'll wear - but rest assured they want you to believe that you will have no choice in the matter because its all controlled by the math.
Nobody should lose sleep over determinism; its just an irrational modern day superstition with a fake science degree.
You probably don't actually need to technically believe in free will for any of the sense of agency that you want. I'd bet that it's only by being convinced that you need that particular metaphysical conviction to operate agentically that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that you need it, and the cost is that your truth-seeking motivation is compromised, at least in this area. Maybe: act more, be consciously volitional and deliberate as needed, and think less about the topic?