[Wittrs] Re: On Discussions about Free WIll
- From: Jeremy Bowman <jwbowman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: CHORA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:20:56 +0100
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
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