Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxd!rlr From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Free will: there ain't no Sanity Clause Message-ID: <1695@pyuxd.UUCP> Date: Sat, 14-Sep-85 14:54:32 EDT Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1695 Posted: Sat Sep 14 14:54:32 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 00:27:24 EDT References: <1495@pyuxd.UUCP> <2197@pucc-h> <1510@pyuxd.UUCP> Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week Lines: 32 > Rich, if I follow your argument, I seem to get this. > 1. All actions are caused. > 2. The actions of your interior mental states cause some of your actions. > 3. Past interior mental states cause present interiro mental states. > 4. > 5. Those interior mental states are caused by your physical structure as > determined by heredity. > Therefore: all things are determined. the thesis of free will is invalid. Pretty much. > You postulate that all those who believe in free will believe that some > outside agent (their soul) is responsible for some of the actions in 3 or 4 > or 5. Therfore you think that all those who believe in free will also > believe in souls. All those who believe in free will must of necessity and implication believe in souls. There is of course nothing to stop a person from holding two contradictory beliefs. It's just a sign that they haven't thought things through. > This is not the only objection that has been made to the thesis of strict > determinism. A good many people do not buy postulate 1 -- they think that some > actions are definitely caused, but others are either uncaused or self-causing. > For [them], a non-belief in determinism does not imply a belief in souls. Do they believe this (obviously an assertion without evidence behind it) for a solid logical reason, or because choosing that precept allows them to reach a conclusion they want, e.g., god or free will? -- "There! I've run rings 'round you logically!" "Oh, intercourse the penguin!" Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr