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The notion of free will isn't silly - 'giving up' on it is an absurd suggestion. It appears to serve a very useful purpose towards enabling us to not all be so
by cobrausn 14y ago
The notion of free will isn't silly - 'giving up' on it is an absurd suggestion. It appears to serve a very useful purpose towards enabling us to not all be sociopaths, and is possibly fundamental to our view of self as rational agents in society. Without it, we immediately start 'misbehaving'.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?pagewa...
- Aqueous 14y agoYou don't have to believe in free will to behave well towards others. You could simply have a rational belief that this mode of behavior leads to greater shared happiness, and that's enough of a justification for it.
- cobrausn 14y agoThat becomes less and less likely the more we think we can get away with, or if we can rationalize that nobody really gets hurt (cheating on an exam, for example). 'Free Will', and the belief that, ultimately, decisions made by you are yours and you are responsible for them seems like something we evolved for a reason. Even if it is an illusion (likely but not proven), it's a damn useful one.