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From: rap@oliven.UUCP (Robert A. Pease)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.religion
Subject: Re: More levels of explanation and definitions of free
Message-ID: <360@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 01:14:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: oliven.360
Posted: Fri Jul 19 01:14:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 10:07:49 EDT
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Xref: watmath net.philosophy:2071 net.religion:7253

Even number of > = Rich Rosen
Odd number of > = Paul Torek
     (I hope I got this right.)

>>>                                      .... if by "ULTIMATE sense" you
>>> mean choosing ALL the influences on oneself throughout one's life
>>> history, nobody has such choice.  But that isn't necessary for one's
>>> choices now to be free -- as long as those early influences lead to
>>> a capacity for "rational evaluative analysis" (r-e-a) by the person.  In 
>>> short, you seem to be arguing
>>> 	1. No one chooses all the influences on her development.
>>> 	2. [implicit] Unless one has a choice in all the influences on
>>> 	   one's development, one's later actions are not free choices.
>>> 	3. Therefore, no one has "free will".
>>> I deny premise 2.

>>Good for you!!  Your denying it doesn't change its veracity one bit.  Since
>>free means "independent of external influences, unfettered, etc.", and since
>>you now seem to at least agree that such things directly influence later
>>choices, THEY ARE QUITE SIMPLY *NOT* *FREE*!!!  

First of all, if a person's development has provided the capacity  for
"rational  evaluative  analysis"  then  that person has the ability to
decide HOW past influences will  affect  him/her  now.  If  you  don't
believe  me,  then  just think about the last time you chose to change
the way you react to something.

-- 

					Robert A. Pease
    {hplabs|zehntel|fortune|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!oliven!rap