POLL: Do you believe in free will, determinism, or both?

[Ħ]

I'm very curious to see what you guys think about free will. It seems like there's a huge trend in my generation to embrace determinism. But there's so many different ways to look at things. One friend of mine is huge on physics, but he totally does not believe in determinism because of quantum mechanics.


One thought experiment on determinism is to think about rewinding the clock of history like you rewind a VCR. When you press play, will history play out in the exact same way? Will people make the exact same choices, even in their nuanced decisions, such as sniffling at a certain time, or having a thought about elephants at a certain time? If you think they will make the exact same choices, then you are probably a determinist. (Note that the option of free will is available to you, through "compatibilism".)


I definitely believe in free will. Not sure about determinism. Probably not, though.




Also, I put this in GD because it's neither religious nor political. So this seems like the right place for it.

[Scorpion]

Free will, I guess.

[yorost]

Determinism is far easier to make argument for, since it's process based.  Free will arguments are basically trying to interject something into a process so end up more abstract.  I doubt I have the mental capacity to determine which is the correct belief.

[theseoafs]

Voted "not sure" because, in all honesty, I don't know, and I don't care all that much about what the answer is anyway.

[Elite]

Voted 'both', because I believe it's a combination of both.

[black_biff_stadler]

Voted "not sure" because, in all honesty, I don't know, and I don't care all that much about what the answer is anyway.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

[El Barto]

determinism

[Zydar]

I will choose free will.

[theseoafs]

Voted "not sure" because, in all honesty, I don't know, and I don't care all that much about what the answer is anyway.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

ok

[antigoon]

I would have a panic attack if I thought about this for too long.

[hefdaddy42]

It's relative.  Like everything else.

But of course the VCR thing would turn out the same way. 

[eric42434224]

Determinism.  Because when I went back in time and checked what I voted in this poll the first time, it was Determinism.

[SystematicThought]

I will choose free will.

I see what you did there

[Implode]

Free will. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.

[yorost]

Free will. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.

Actually, the arguments sort of go the other way around.  Determinism, in simplicity, views the universe as moving from one state to another with no randomness.  Free will interjects the 'mystical' ability to have chosen reactions.

[eric42434224]

I dont think it is about controlling destiny....i think it is more about if you are given the same exact choices, in the same exact scenario, would you go through the same exact processes to make the same exact choices.  I feel you would....why wouldnt anyone choose differently?  I use this little excercise to not feel regret for past decisions.  I tell myself that, without knowing what I know now of course, that given the same situation, I would have made the same decision....so why regret it?

[Dr. DTVT]

theseoafs fails the Rush test and should be temp banned for 2 weeks, that should be long enough to listen to the Rush discography several times.

[Dublagent66]

Necessitarianism.

[theseoafs]

I did NOT fail the Rush test.

DTVT is spreading libel and should be temp banned for 2 weeks.

[BlobVanDam]

theseoafs fails the Rush test and should be temp banned for 2 weeks, that should be long enough to listen to the Rush discography several times.

I'd rather just take a perm-ban than have to endure that.

[Implode]

People also failed the Star Wars test.

[Sigz]

Determinism, though in the end it's kind of irrelevant.

[HarlequinForest]

No such thing as free will, only the illusion of free will. Whether the universe is deterministic is questionable, but there is no free will regardless.

[bosk1]

People also failed the Star Wars test.

Nobody truly fails the Star Wars test.  Just sit back, have a drink, and relax. 

[eric42434224]

People also failed the Star Wars test.

All right, I'll give it a try.

[DebraKadabra]

Voted "not sure" because, in all honesty, I don't know, and I don't care all that much about what the answer is anyway.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I was going to post EXACTLY what blackest_floyd posted.  DAMMIT!  Sniped again.  I guess that's what I get for being asleep at that time.

Anyhoo... lump me in the "not sure" crowd.

[AngelBack]

I was oddly compelled to vote free will, as if I had no choice???

[rogerdil]

Both. Mostly deterministic, but we can exercise small pockets of free will, which some exaggerate to think we have more free will than we actually have.

[Implode]

People also failed the Star Wars test.

Nobody truly fails the Star Wars test.  Just sit back, have a drink, and relax. 

Yeah. I guess it's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.

[jasc15]

Freewill requires something "outside" of nature to interrupt the sequence of natural phenomena (i.e., the idea of "decision making").  Your brain is no less subject to these phenomena than anything else.

So: determinism.

[rumborak]

I voted both because I have the opinion of freewill being an emergent property of our rather clusterfucky brains. In fact, it is worth noting that the less organized one's thought process is, the more one is inclined to ascribe it to freewill.

[Super Dude]

I have no idea.

[ricky]

me either. voted not sure. in the end, no one really knows, i guess.

[eric42434224]

People also failed the Star Wars test.

Nobody truly fails the Star Wars test.  Just sit back, have a drink, and relax. 

Yeah. I guess it's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.

Looks like you failed my Star Wars test.

[Tick]

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear...
I will choose Free Will!

Actually, I don't know. I just couldn't pass on the opportunity to quote Rush.