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From: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: From Gordon A. Moffett (living without free will)
Message-ID: <159@spar.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 11:58:14 EST
Article-I.D.: spar.159
Posted: Wed Apr  3 11:58:14 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 03:14:28 EST
References: <1150@decwrl.UUCP> <1321@amdahl.UUCP>
Reply-To: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 36

> (...) I don't believe my body operates outside physical laws,
> known or otherwise. (...) I don't understand
>why being human -- a particular kind of animal -- makes me *SO*
>different from other animals.  Yes, I am a clever animal, and
>I have the ability to recall many more things than other animals
>and (probably most important) I am far more adaptable than any
>other animal.  I can even be self-aware.  But does this mean
>I am endowed with special properties, like free will, that
>other animals lack?  (And are other animals really not self-
>aware?).
>Why is biology deterministic and (human) behavior not, then?
>
>Gordon A. Moffett		...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam

    (1) Biology is NOT DETERMINISTIC, for many reasons, one of the
    	most obvious being that quantum mechanics, upon which biology
	is based, is not deterministic either. 

    (2) Nobody has ever demonstrated that animals lack self-awareness
        or free will, nor does it seem possible to demonstrate that such
	conjectures are either true or false. 

	On the other hand, the biological structures of animals are
	remarkably similar to ours, as is their behavior, just as you
	pointed out.

        Therefore (barring divine revelation) I can see absolutely
	no reason to believe that the differences between humans
	and nonhumans are other than differences of degree.

    (3) Sorry, I cannot really answer the question of whether or not YOU
        have free will, except as a matter of faith. Since I believe that
	I have free will, I suppose that I believe that you have it as well.
	The same remark applies, in varying degrees, to animals as well.

-michael `A cenna dona Druidib ocus dona filedaib' ellis