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Author Topic:   Free will: an illusion
Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 211 of 309 (323415)
06-19-2006 5:20 PM
Reply to: Message 210 by iano
06-19-2006 5:15 PM


make a choice free will or All knowing God
creavolution writes:
It is my belief that if the Xian doctrine is to be believed
IF.... IF the Xian Doctrine is to be believed...
my summary stated that IF God is All knowing (as per the christian doctrine) then free will is an illusion... so what are we left with?
Either... free will is an illusion
or
god is not all knowing.
make your choice.
Edited by Creavolution, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 210 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 5:15 PM iano has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 214 by New Cat's Eye, posted 06-19-2006 5:47 PM Heathen has replied
 Message 216 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 5:51 PM Heathen has replied

AdminNWR
Inactive Member


Message 212 of 309 (323416)
06-19-2006 5:25 PM


Watch those subtitles
You have to feel sorry for member "disbelief". His pending suspension has been announced many times. Fortunately there is no such member.
However the subtitle "suspending disbelief" is not a very good description of what is currently being discussed. How about trying a different subtitle?


New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 213 of 309 (323422)
06-19-2006 5:43 PM
Reply to: Message 185 by jar
06-19-2006 10:27 AM


God's capriciousness
Do you think god would be cruel if she was capricious?
Yes in the sense of arbitrary and capricious. If GOD is capricious, then there really are no rules, no right and wrong, no freewill and no standards.
quote:
capricious: Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable. See Synonyms at arbitrary.
quote:
arbitrary: Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle
Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference
Established by a court or judge rather than by a specific law or statute.
Not limited by law; despotic.
Do you think god would be cruel if she was capricious?
Yes in the sense of arbitrary and capricious.
What about capricious but not arbitrary? I see they are synonomous but arbitrary seems to have an additional condition of not by neccessity , reason or principle.
God could be ”selectively omniscient’ based on necessity and reason and not be arbitrary about it. Why do you think that if god has the ability but chooses to or not to use it, then she is capricious?
If GOD is capricious, then there really are no rules, no right and wrong, no freewill and no standards.
I don't really see why but if you don't feel like typing it out, no problem.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 185 by jar, posted 06-19-2006 10:27 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 220 by jar, posted 06-19-2006 6:13 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 214 of 309 (323423)
06-19-2006 5:47 PM
Reply to: Message 211 by Heathen
06-19-2006 5:20 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
Either... free will is an illusion
or
god is not all knowing.
make your choice.
God is not all knowing (according to your definition).
By another definition, God is all knowing and we have free will.
yeah?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 211 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 5:20 PM Heathen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 215 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 5:50 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 215 of 309 (323427)
06-19-2006 5:50 PM
Reply to: Message 214 by New Cat's Eye
06-19-2006 5:47 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
CS writes:
By another definition, God is all knowing and we have free will.
can you explain how you arrive at this definfition, and how the contradiction is overcome?
rather than just asserting it.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 214 by New Cat's Eye, posted 06-19-2006 5:47 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 227 by New Cat's Eye, posted 06-20-2006 10:48 AM Heathen has replied

iano
Member (Idle past 1962 days)
Posts: 6165
From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Joined: 07-27-2005


Message 216 of 309 (323428)
06-19-2006 5:51 PM
Reply to: Message 211 by Heathen
06-19-2006 5:20 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
Context is all...
It is my belief that if the Xian doctrine is to be believed, God is all knowing, and outside of time. He knows what will happen, what has happened, and what is happening. Therefore any notion of free will is a myth.
"If"...an assumption...."therefore"....a conclusion
We have assumed the assumption and are discussing the conclusion that is drawn. What is being sought is a basis for the conclusion which solves the problem it creates itself. Namely that a 'yes' answer doesn't even get off the ground.
Please proceed...

This message is a reply to:
 Message 211 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 5:20 PM Heathen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 217 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 5:56 PM iano has replied

Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 217 of 309 (323431)
06-19-2006 5:56 PM
Reply to: Message 216 by iano
06-19-2006 5:51 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
And I said 'IF' God is all knowing 'Therefore' free will is illusory.
the only alternative is:
God is not all knowing.
please respond.
Edited by Creavolution, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 216 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 5:51 PM iano has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 218 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:01 PM Heathen has replied

iano
Member (Idle past 1962 days)
Posts: 6165
From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Joined: 07-27-2005


Message 218 of 309 (323435)
06-19-2006 6:01 PM
Reply to: Message 217 by Heathen
06-19-2006 5:56 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
If/therefore is an if/then statement. If A then B follows. We have assumed A. Show B.
My argument has been to offer: If A then not B .... as the only possible solution.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 217 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 5:56 PM Heathen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 219 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 6:10 PM iano has replied

Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 219 of 309 (323446)
06-19-2006 6:10 PM
Reply to: Message 218 by iano
06-19-2006 6:01 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
last time iano... last time...
be honest or move on to the other points
creavolution writes:
It is my belief that if the Xian doctrine is to be believed, God is all knowing, and outside of time. He knows what will happen, what has happened, and what is happening. Therefore any notion of free will is a myth. We are merely playing out what is inevitable. Given this Predestination, I have the illusion of choice, but in truth there is only one path which can be followed, the one which Your God can see and knows to be true.
creavolutio writes:
If (what i believe) your idea of god to be exists... then yes.. exactly. We are nothing more that programmed machines playing out what he knows will happen. He created us with fallen judgement. so even if our choices actually represent free will.. they are hopeless as we cannot judge whether or not we make the right decision.
creavolution writes:
In the absence of an all knowing-creator god however.. we do have true free will.
creavolution writes:
And your world(God)view suggests.. even requires that free will is an illusion. so either free will is an illusion or you world(God)view is incorrect.
I don't know how many times I have to say it for you to read it...
iano writes:
If there is no creator God then you are a biological machine and free will is an illusion
can you back this up? why does free will require a creator?
iano writes:
It is churning out notions it must churn out.
or it is reacting to stimuli and deciding, for itself, how to best respond. Free will.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 218 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:01 PM iano has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 221 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:24 PM Heathen has replied

jar
Member (Idle past 415 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 220 of 309 (323448)
06-19-2006 6:13 PM
Reply to: Message 213 by New Cat's Eye
06-19-2006 5:43 PM


Re: God's capriciousness
What about capricious but not arbitrary?
I can't see a way that GOD could be capricious and not arbutrary. That may just be some limitation of mine but it is one I don't see a logical way around.
Why do you think that if god has the ability but chooses to or not to use it, then she is capricious?
Well, that would mean that any given moment, any given act, might or might not be subject to freewill. Freewill then becomes more or less a crapshoot, dependent on whether GOD has used Her ability of foreknowledge regarding that particular incident.
jar writes:
If GOD is capricious, then there really are no rules, no right and wrong, no freewill and no standards.
to which Catholic Scientist replied
quote:
I don't really see why but if you don't feel like typing it out, no problem.
Because you have absolutely no idea of what GOD's perspective or reaction will be under any given set of circumstances or whether you are making choices or GOD has stepped in and removed freewill in this particular instance.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 213 by New Cat's Eye, posted 06-19-2006 5:43 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 230 by New Cat's Eye, posted 06-20-2006 11:59 AM jar has replied

iano
Member (Idle past 1962 days)
Posts: 6165
From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Joined: 07-27-2005


Message 221 of 309 (323460)
06-19-2006 6:24 PM
Reply to: Message 219 by Heathen
06-19-2006 6:10 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
Your first paragraph above was taken from the OP. This is what I was invited to deal with.
Your second para reasserts the if/then of the OP. Fair enough - but I am looking for the argument not a repeat of the assertion.
Your third para sidesteps the assumption we have assumed for the sake of discussion - diversion.
Your fourth para re-asserts the if/then of the OP and diverts by pointing to an alternative if/then. Still not dealing with the original if/then
Your answer to the fifth para deals with an me responding to a diversion by yourself which has nothing to do with the OP. If no creator God is not an assumption of the OP
Your answer to the sixth para supposes something of machines: decision (free will)
Edited by iano, : No reason given.
Edited by iano, : Edit analysis of 5th Para

This message is a reply to:
 Message 219 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 6:10 PM Heathen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 222 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 6:38 PM iano has replied

Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 222 of 309 (323475)
06-19-2006 6:38 PM
Reply to: Message 221 by iano
06-19-2006 6:24 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
I'm done with this point Iano.
You have contributed nothing to support your position as far as I can see...
if you'd like to consider the other points feel free

This message is a reply to:
 Message 221 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:24 PM iano has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 223 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:52 PM Heathen has replied
 Message 232 by Codegate, posted 06-20-2006 12:08 PM Heathen has replied

iano
Member (Idle past 1962 days)
Posts: 6165
From: Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Joined: 07-27-2005


Message 223 of 309 (323481)
06-19-2006 6:52 PM
Reply to: Message 222 by Heathen
06-19-2006 6:38 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
I'm done with this point Iano. You have contributed nothing to support your position as far as I can see...
Fair enough. I decline to respond to either points 2 or 3.
Nice discussing with you Crevo. See ya around

This message is a reply to:
 Message 222 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 6:38 PM Heathen has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 224 by Heathen, posted 06-19-2006 9:13 PM iano has not replied

Heathen
Member (Idle past 1304 days)
Posts: 1067
From: Brizzle
Joined: 09-20-2005


Message 224 of 309 (323583)
06-19-2006 9:13 PM
Reply to: Message 223 by iano
06-19-2006 6:52 PM


Re: make a choice free will or All knowing God
wow.. even less impressive than 'goddidit'
kudos.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 223 by iano, posted 06-19-2006 6:52 PM iano has not replied

Iblis
Member (Idle past 3917 days)
Posts: 663
Joined: 11-17-2005


Message 225 of 309 (323590)
06-19-2006 9:28 PM


Limited Omnipotence
I know I know, sounds like an oxymoron.
Bur C S Lewis, from whom I'm cribbing my theology for this exercise, because he's a fair fight rather than this rib-kicking thing you guys are engaging in with the non-specialists, really suggests something like this in answer to some of the harder paradoxes in this question.
Specifically, if I'm understanding him correctly, he asserts that omnipotence does not include nonsense. It is all perfectly well in debate to suggest that a truly omnipotent being could create pure black horses that were also perfectly white, or manufacture loads too heavy for them to lift and then lift them anyway, or to set up a world where we all still have free will but none of us ever choose to disobey, or tell the truth all the time, even when they say they are lying, or whatever lame paradox we care to verbally construct; but really, these things aren't even consistent in themselves, they are nonsense. Theyt aren't just infinitely hard, they are mere tricks of language which don't truly represent anything at all. If we eliminate all of those intrinsic non-possibilities from our conception of omnipotence, is there enough left to make a decent deity out of, or not?

Replies to this message:
 Message 226 by iano, posted 06-20-2006 5:19 AM Iblis has not replied

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