Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!otter!cwp From: cwp@otter.hple.hp.com (Chris Preist) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: Re: Free Will and Self-Awareness Message-ID: <2070016@otter.hple.hp.com> Date: 10 May 88 08:42:21 GMT References: <8805091739.AA27922@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK. Lines: 20 It is depressing to see that people are unable to accept that the problem of determinism is a METAPHYSICAL problem, which cannot be solved purely by philosophical debate, introspection, etc etc. It is NOT self-contradictory to assume that the world is determined, and the freedom we percieve is subjective. Nor is it self-contradictory to assume that we are free through some form of mind-body dualism (As soon as you bring in 'I','free choices',etc, this is what you are opting for). However, it is self-contradictory to assume that what you assume is necessarily correct! Some people in the debate obviously have not understood the determinist/compatiblist argument. For a short and lucid explanation, may I recommend the relevant chapter in Ayer's 'Problems of Philosophy'. By the principle of Occam's Razor (i.e. disguard all unnecessary assumptions), I personally would choose to work assuming the determinist approach. However, the fact that the universe is determined is subjectively irrelevant to our experiences - the freedom we experience (and thus the moral responsibility, etc) is as exciting as ever. Chris