sekhar ________________________________ From: Jeremy Bowman <jwbowman@xxxxxxxxx> To: CHORA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, 11 April 2011 3:50 PM Subject: Re: [Wittrs] Re: On Discussions about Free WIll Sean asks: > May I ask what are the stakes of this discussion? For me, the question is not "Do we have free will?" but "Does the concept of free will make sense?" If the answer to the second question is No, then the answer to the first question can't be either Yes or No. Dismissing the concept of "free will" is not the same as denying that we have it, any more than rejecting the concept of "demonic possession" is the same as saying there is no such thing as mental illness. The answer to the second question has a direct bearing on my understanding of agency, and hence an indirect bearing on further philosophical issues. I strenuously reject the idea that we have another agent, like a Russian doll within, namely our "will". I get the impression that the term 'free will' is sometimes used not in its traditional sense of being opposed to "natural necessity" or determinism, but simply to mean something like "autonomy". In which case the answer to the question whether we have it is "sometimes yes, sometimes no, usually something in between". > It seems that if I grant or deny any of these claims, nothing actually changes > in the world except the arrangement of my lexicon. But the arrangement of your lexicon is quite a big deal, isn't it? Isn't nearly all philosophical insight something like "a re-arrangement of our lexicon"? Cheers -- Jeremy Messages to the list will be archived at http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/chora.html Undoubtedly words make sense whether it may be negative or positive but depends on the value system.So also free will..Very denial and acceptance are within the frame work of language.As long as question and answers pro gramme continues.Verbal world is dualistic in its very core hence speaker and listener are two parts of the same coin.The other side remains concealed all the time so there is doubt and its clarification.This happens as long as one believes the symbolic structure to be a fact.To see the integrated structure as is may be the solution for entire dilemma. thank you sekhar