I'm thinking about thoughts...
As ridiculous as that may sound, its not necessarily incorrect to say. This is basically an exercise in abstracts that none of us can expand on without relying on the crutches we ought to be avoiding. Who could explain plainly what a thought is, without using the word thought or its synonyms? In a similar way explaining the concept of "free will" becomes a regurgitation of conceptual clutches that many times were given to us by mainstream religious dogmas.What about what you think? Do you happen to think of yourself as a master of your own thoughts? - Can any of us draw the lines where the randomness and chaotic pool of subconscious ideas become first filtered, then analyzed, then understood, then acted upon or not. Are those even all the steps? I'm sure I'm probably wrong, so... What is this whole thought about then?
Every question gives way to more...ehh more Questions?
I seem to be playing a logical puzzle, but that is not my true intent. I'm just confused because none of us seem to act as if we do not understand free will. Unless of course, we are medically insane, then yes, then we are not aware of it, we simply can't. Wait a second, Is that last statement even true? Think about that for a second, a man could kill another and be deemed mentally insane, be deemed not responsible for his actions because he did not act of his own volition, which is fancier word for free will, there is the "concept" yet again.
So... Does this mean that without free will we would be insane?
It seems to be the argument, at least it does for the courts that write the human laws. We all accept it to be true and operate as if it is, yet the proposition and/or supposition seems to be defeated comically by the title of this very blog, and yet you read along as if it was sound truth.
If I'm confusing you, I apologize, but the truth is I seem to confuse myself most of the time. I guess my intention is to add a mental hurdle or two into my own life as to not ever get bored, at least not in a bad way that is. Who would ask the hard questions to myself, if not me? And then again... Why would I wish to question my logical crutches, don't I need them to operate as a sapient sapiens?
Off the deep end, or am I playing games?
Maybe, I'm not sure, but what I do know is that its OK to not know sometimes. It might even be healthy to know that you don't know some things that everyone pretends to know, I find it quite liberating if I'm to be honest.
You know, It's in unique days like today that these questions, these ideas pop into my head and I wonder why? The irony has my mind a bit too entertained... its April's fool and also Easter, let that sink in.
Where was I, on Free Will? Yes, Yes.... I still don't know what it means, do you?
So lets look at free will, if you ask people to argue for or against free will you will get a lot of people pitching on either side. Lets stop though and imagine what happens when you start treating those people who claim humans do not have free will as if they don't have free will. Take their agency away. Well, they get pissed right off, pretty much without exception. Whether you say you believe in free will or not you act as if you have free will and everyone around has free will too.
We get angry when people wrong us and argue they made a CHOICE. That's why we are mad, unnecessary suffering happened. We have laws. Why have laws if people can't choose outcomes and states? Are all the people claiming there is no free will advocating for the removal of all laws?? Without freewill laws are immoral, as are regulations, and values, and norms. Without free will everyone becomes a victim, its the ultimate victimhood stance and if actually truly believed by a person is very destructive. I say truly believed, not this pandering lip service, "we have no free will but I will be very angry if you take my agency away." hypocrisy.
Now to say our will is perfectly free is the height of silliness. What does a perfect being, omnipotent and omniscient lack? The answer here is limitation. As far as I can see limitation is very important for consciousness. Every structure is also a guide and a cage and demand to conform. To build anything one must lower the potentiality of what you are forming from. Giving structure imposes walls and limits. As a last thought, you can't break the bones of an octopus but you also cannot expect an octopus to hold itself rigid. So obviously our will is caged in some ways. Caged by time, Caged by our bodies, Caged by a need for fuel, caged by death, Caged by a need for community. Even caged by fundamental inequality and the laws of the Universe.
Which means we both have free will and don't have free will. We ave the capacity for choice and our choices are sacred to each individual. But we are also acted upon by the universe and must conform to patterns larger than ourselves or risk annihilation. This is very hard, the body and mind have invented a lot of subconscious and and semi autonomous responses to well pretty much everything. These response patterns can go awry or mislabel something causing a person to have a blinding sense of rage they have limited control over. As the anger rises they can choose to isolate themselves, try and fight it head on, give in completely, or resist some what. They might not even realize its happening, could be a dive for mood stabilizers moment like some sort of superbowl touchdown, Grab the meds before the counter goes down and we get a super saiyen killing spree!
Those are all choices though, yes they are getting more and more limited and shitty by the moment, we are rapidly closing down on a bottle neck of "forced action". This is where the law steps in and says insanity, the person could not have been reasonably expected to solve this problem in time and they were no longer the personality we commonly associate with them. Lots of gray areas here, but these moments where truly free will has left us are always prefaced with a rapid erosion of choice. It is in this erosion of choice though that we find many choices.
So whether we truly have free will, its the same as the god argument, definitive proof my be forever beyond us. However we all act out having free will and thus with our actions believe in it (very important point), and we recognize a difference in faulty programming that leads to excusable criminality.
at the very least our civilization depends on us all acting as if we have free will.
Excellent ideas @ktrey this is exactly what I expect to find by writing these type of articles(I guess I can call them that).
Invitation to thought... I happen to agree with this view very much.
A refreshing take (for me at least) on defining our obvious limitations.
Meno.. I might well have just been reading my own thoughts. You went ahead and thought them for me ahead of time. Really, when you think about it, when you're reading someone else's thoughts , you are thinking them, too. So right now (meaning my right now) I am thinking the thoughts that you thought earlier. And also in your current right now, you are thinking these thoughts that I am thinking after thinking your thoughts right now. Look what you've done to me.
Also , all day long I just imagine Jesus saying, "April Fools! LOL" Way back in the day before LOL was a written thing. Nobody would have understood anything he said.
Hahhaha Serena I had to read that twice!
I was going to think about your comment... but i think i'll pass... sh*t, it's too late ;/
It must be lonely to be a god or Supreme being with this free will as no matter how you love them in spirit of free will they might choose something that might destroy them in the end @meno
Your thoughts remind me of my own sometimes... but where do these thoughts originate? Are they culturally engrained, unique to me or a product of my current situation?
I find myself tunneling (some days more than others) into the ethers of the concious mind yet find myself no less clear after it all. On the other hand, what my body FEELS is undeniable and true. No questioning when I have an urge. I suppose it's all part of the beauty of being human ;)
Yes of course, confusion is reassurance of existence and our sense of wonder is a spark for creation. I think these thoughts are in the domain of all of us sapiens, some of us listen, some repress.
Well said. I feel it's the wonder you speak of that keeps us evolving, The juice that feeds growth and makes us human. Children are such great reminders of this. Cheers to Not knowing!
Nice article mate. I don't think free will is the problem. The problem how society transformed human being. We became mass consumers. We know the problems but we do not care about the solutions.
We only care about ourself and our family/close friend at the end. Because it is difficult to be wrong for most people. Society taught them than no having an opinion is not having a character.
What we learned, our emotions, our fake convictions/judgement/opinion but especially the fact that smart people have more troubles to admit they are wrong that others. Really smart people are always wrong.
Except when they follow their intuition which is based on free will. I am sure that if I am kind with others, it will return to me even. I know it is false as well. But that is the only thing I am really sure off. You can call it Karma, religion,belief,thought.
It is a lie but a I have to lie to me to give my life a sense or a goal. Is it bad ? No. Can it be bad ? Yeah if I do believe it too strongly, I will be too kind with everybody and most people will see that as a weakness. They'll take advantage of that weakness and I'll be the looser whereas my goal was nice.
Free will is what millions of people died for through the milliners. So yeah it is important but free will is not having an opinion/character. Make the difference and you'll understand why their is no answer. Simply because your question is wrong at the start.
I guess. That is my opinion based on what I know yet.
Philosophy is such an interesting matter. If it's a free will then how come we nave no choice?
The Title of the post is supposed to make you think from the start. That's why the subject is so complicated, because we its almost as if logic needs to be suspended to allow us to operate.
Yup that's servitude version 1.1, fake democracy style.
Slaves never even knew what hit them.