I agree that free will probably just isn’t the right term. This whole thing started as a response to Sam Harris, and that’s the term he used. I imagine switching to “self-determination” might resolve half of the dispute, so I like that. I think Gary Watson used that term as well, so you’re in good company.
Yeah, I also agree that telling someone their future would change it. That’s why I had that footnote about blanking their mind after you tell them Men-in-Black style. You tell them their future, tell them you’re going to blank their mind in five minutes, then ask how much free will they feeling. This isn’t the strongest response and I think that’s because this is a real weakness of what I said. Both the thought experiments (telling the boy his future and the woman who kills her children yet somehow has “nothing wrong with her”) are so outlandish that I think it’s fair to just say, “I reject the experiment”. Definitely a weakness for sure. Thanks for reading it and commenting.
I agree that free will probably just isn’t the right term. This whole thing started as a response to Sam Harris, and that’s the term he used. I imagine switching to “self-determination” might resolve half of the dispute, so I like that. I think Gary Watson used that term as well, so you’re in good company.
Yeah, I also agree that telling someone their future would change it. That’s why I had that footnote about blanking their mind after you tell them Men-in-Black style. You tell them their future, tell them you’re going to blank their mind in five minutes, then ask how much free will they feeling. This isn’t the strongest response and I think that’s because this is a real weakness of what I said. Both the thought experiments (telling the boy his future and the woman who kills her children yet somehow has “nothing wrong with her”) are so outlandish that I think it’s fair to just say, “I reject the experiment”. Definitely a weakness for sure. Thanks for reading it and commenting.