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From: merrill@rex.DEC
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Free Will Defined
Message-ID: <3934@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Oct-84 08:50:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3934
Posted: Wed Oct 17 08:50:51 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Oct-84 07:58:08 EDT
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This may be too brief for some ... but here goes.

"Free" will does NOT mean free-of-any-influence chemical, psychological,
political, emotional, even physical;  the "free" in "free will" refers to
freedom from ANOTHER person's will ( Mother, God, Freud ... ).  

To me a Good Relationship has individual freedom of will WITH voluntary
cooperation and occasional compromise of "will."  

Testing the presence of free will is bitter-sweet: there must be evidence
(a) of differing will and (b) of voluntarily submitting to another's will.
Example: "I want to make love NOW -- but I'll wait until after we're married."


Rick