Free will vs determinism - after thoughts
We want to believe we have free will because we want to be free. But what does this mean? What we generally want is to be able to satisfy or desires. But where did those desires come from in the first place? As long as we can pursue what we desire, then we feel free. This is the kind of freedom we really care about and is compatible with both free will and determinism. However, we are only free within the limitation of our genetics and environment. We could not choose to be another person born in another place or another time. These factors are determined. One complicating factor is that we have competing and oftentimes internally conflicting desires. Another is that our desires sometimes conflict with
We want to believe we have free will because we want to be free. But what does this mean? What we generally want is to be able to satisfy or desires. But where did those desires come from in the first place? As long as we can pursue what we desire, then we feel free. This is the kind of freedom we really care about and is compatible with both free will and determinism. However, we are only free within the limitation of our genetics and environment. We could not choose to be another person born in another place or another time. These factors are determined. One complicating factor is that we have competing and oftentimes internally conflicting desires. Another is that our desires sometimes conflict with