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From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Free will and responsibility.
Summary: On becoming human.
Keywords: Libertarianism, behaviorism , existentialism
Message-ID: <54908@linus.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jun 89 19:43:37 GMT
References: <10333@ihlpb.ATT.COM> <3850@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <52019@linus.UUCP> <1309@lzfme.att.com> <1966@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu> <528@orawes
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Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: The TaoLight Zone, Ste. Elsewhen
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In article <2008@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu> brianc@daedalus.UUCP (Brian Colfer) picks
up a lingering thread on the Free Will/Determinism merry-go-round:

>>> Barry Kort
>>>..Are you now convinced that at least one living mind is not completely
>>>determined?  (Feel free to be reasonable, if you so choose.)

>Michael is unimpressed and so am I for obviously different reasons.
>When I was an undergraduate many years ago my Prof. Kirk Gable told me that
>my concerns about free will were fundamentally a waste of time.  One of
>his reasons were that if behaviorism works as an acurate model for how we
>live our lives and proves useful for helping people in education, mental 
>health and other similar endeavours then who cares about free will.
>Well, in a sense he's right but I always enjoy discussions about the 
>fundamental nature of humanity.  

It sounds like Professor Gable was wasting his breath (if not his time).  :-)

I don't think behaviorism is an accurate (or useful) model for mature
sentient beings.  (It may be OK for naive neural networks.)  As to
mental health, I think the behaviorists are more likely to induce
neurosis than those who care about free will.  My own experience
has shown that it is wiser to provide people with accurate observational
reports than to directly manipulate their behavior with a cleverly
devised system of rewards and punishment. (At least, I think it is a
more humane way to treat one's fellow human.)

--Barry Kort