4 ms·
I like the idea of hitting people who say we have no free will. I tried it once, but it's counter-productive for discussion. Subject was more occupied with the
by yetihehe 6y ago
I like the idea of hitting people who say we have no free will. I tried it once, but it's counter-productive for discussion. Subject was more occupied with the fact of hitting him than with continuing discusussion if my action should have consequences or not (no free will = I didn't do it out of my own will, so why should I suffer consequences).
- watwut 6y agoPossibly the subject war preprogrammed to seek punishment after being hit?
- yetihehe 6y agoNo, he was totally stumped, did not speak with me that evening and later said that he still doesn't know why I hit him. We were drunk at the time and philosophical discussions between drunk people are rarely valuable in my experience.
- s1artibartfast 6y agoI think your problem is that you assume free will is a prerequisite for accountability, consequences, or justice. When my computer breaks, I either fix it or replace it. I don't ask if the computer actively chose to break. Assume there is a robot programmed to walk around punching people, do you ignore it because it isn't making choices? Similarly, if a person is walking around punching people due to a combination of random and deterministic factors (no free will), do you ignore them?
- yetihehe 6y ago> Similarly, if a person is walking around punching people due to a combination of random and deterministic factors (no free will), do you ignore them? I will ask why they are punching people and might join if cause is valid. I'm not yet convinced if we have free will or not, whole concept looks a little meaningless when you look at it too closely.
- s1artibartfast 6y agoI think it is largely a philosophical question, but it does have some cultural ramifications. For example, it can change how most people think about and punish crimes.