[lit-ideas] Re: Do You Have Free Will?

  • From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:29:54 EDT


In a message dated 3/30/2011 9:33:54 P.M., donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx  
writes:

At one  point the article refers to studies on the usefulness of a belief 
in free  will:-

"The benefits of this belief have been demonstrated in other  research 
showing that when people doubt free will, they do worse at their jobs  and are 
less honest."

----
 
Exactly. At another point, it reads:
 
"In the words of Arthur Schopenhauer, ''Man can do what he wills, but he  
cannot will what he wills.''"
 
---- My German is pretty excellent, and I'm saddened that the dictum wasn't 
 written or cited in German.
 
In German, 'willen' is _to want_. This is old English. In old  English:

"I will walk the dog"
 
meant, "I desire to walk the dog". Future is always a desired option.
 
On the other hand, Schopenhauer (the surname means something) is wrong.  
Surely one can will what one wills. In fact, for Grice, this is by  default:

"It is raining"
I believe that it is raining.
And therefore, I believe that I believe that it is raining.
And so on ad infinitum. 
 
Try to believe that it is raining but NOT to believe that you believe that  
it is raining.
 
Mutatis mutandis for 'desire':
 
"I desire to have some wine"
"I desire to desire to have some wine"
"I desire to desire to desire to have some wine"
 
------
 
Etc.
 
To think that one cannot will what one wills is 'akratic'. 

Grice was worried that philosophers think of 'akrasia' as weakness of  the 
WILL. ""Weakness of the belief" is just as common"" -- still, fully rational 
 creatures do will what they will, as they believe what they believe.
 
And so on.
 
J. L. Speranza
---- for the Swimming-Pool Library, etc. 


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