Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxd.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxd!rlr From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Justifications of Paradigms Message-ID: <1439@pyuxd.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-Aug-85 19:17:02 EDT Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1439 Posted: Wed Aug 7 19:17:02 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 20:22:00 EDT References: <3489@decwrl.UUCP> Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week Lines: 24 > The problem is is that if you get rid of the concept of free > will entirely, you start blaming society for individual problems. I > still think that free will is a useful concept, as long as it is > understood that we are never completely free from external influence. Ah, the old conservative cry of "look at the liberals blaming society for what these people are obviously responsible for themselves", without thinking for a moment of what factors of causation are or were available to the "responsible" person. Just as I don't hold you responsible (or blame you, if my life situation was in a negative state) for the way I am, I don't blame me or hold me responsible for the way I am, nor do I blame or hold society responsible. The web of cause and effect is so extremely interwoven and complex that it strikes me as extremely dense to impute blame or even cause for things in a person's life directly and exclusively on particular events or things. > Let's face it, we live in an analog world, where everything > affects everything else. Not only do we affect our environment, we are > effected by it. I think it is equally as dangerous to blame society > for everything that doesn't work in your life. See above. -- "Do I just cut 'em up like regular chickens?" Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr