Sunday, May 30

Free will and determinism

The perennial debate over free will and determinism of recent times has reignited interest as studies on the brain have suggested prior ideas of freedom of choices may be illusory. Rather than being truly responsible for your actions or choices it is suggested they are subject to waves of biological or metaphysical  determinism. I watched with interest the debate between Jordan Peterson, in favor of freewill and Sam Harris who entertains the possibility of unconscious brain activity predetermining those actions or choices. Both provided credible alternatives which suggested to me maybe they were both correct except in fact they were arguing from different perspectives. 
Ken Wilber provides an interesting solution under his integral style philosophy as per below.             

2 comments:

Deanna said...

It seems quite amazing to me that such a debate can still manage to earn a decent living for 'learned men' and media types. What a strange world we have chosen to create.

Lindsay Byrnes said...

Hi Deanna,
Mighty handsome returns for these rock stars of rhetoric, with 8000 fans forking out 40 - 200 pounds per seat in London. But not sure what you mean by what a strange world we have come to create when what they are debating is not so different to the ancient philosophy.
The u tube I posted was on Ken Wilber whose integral philosophy has waned, but on the other 2 not much different to the ancients such as Socrates, then Plato presenting their views to crowds in ancient Athens? Socrates and Plato enjoyed wealth with their words (free will only possible by having a knowledge of what it was to live a virtuous life) which became all the rage - same sort of thematic persisting today don’t you think ? apart from the technological bells and whistles
Best wishes