Has anybody else picked this up yet? It’s really done a number on me. Prior to reading it I would consider myself a Stoic. One of my central philosophies being that “The choices I make define who I am”.

So obviously being told that my choices were never even mine to begin with was kind of a slap in the face.

It rings true though. The choices we make at any given time are a result of our genetics, or environment, the media we’ve consumed, how tired we are…

I’m not a stranger to the concept of Ego death but it had been a hot minute since I thought about it.

  • southpolefiesta@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Determinism is not a barrier to meaningful free will.

    You should read some philosophers who are proponents of compatabilism (philosophy that determinism and Free Will are compatible).

    I would recommend “Freedom Evolves” by Dennet.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Evolves

    Determinism does not have to mean doom and gloom and lack of personal responsibility.

    • 2rfv@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Determinism is not a barrier to meaningful free will.

      So do you believe that the mind that makes our decisions is not subject to the physical laws defining determinism?

    • Zephos65@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I’ve only taken one philosophy course on theory of mind BUT I never really understood the compatibilist position. They say that yes everything is deterministic but mental states determine action.

      But mental states are determined too. Unless you are some dualist, you’d have to believe that mental states are determined.

    • PhysicalConsistency@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      This version of compatibilism has produced numerous papers by philosophers and legal scholars concerning the relevance of neuroscience to free will. After reading lots of them, I’ve concluded that they usually boil down to three sentences:

      a. Wow, there’ve been all these cool advances in neuroscience, all reinforcing the conclusion that ours is a deterministic world.

      b. Some of those neuroscience findings challenge our notions of agency, moral responsibility, and deservedness so deeply that one must conclude that there is no free will.

      c. Nah, it still exists.

      I mean, that’s the first chapter. Seriously, are any of the folks with such strong opinions actually going to read the book?