Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-rex!merrill 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 Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 15 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