1) I don’t use the phrase at all except in discussions about paradoxical properties of the concept it usually denotes.
2) I don’t think so for several reasons:
First, the problem of free will is an interesting topic for rationalist discussion but not an important matter of rationality. Belief in free will (whatever it means) hardly causes significant problems. It may be argued that belief in free will somehow makes people more prone to religion or mystical thinking, but my personal experience does not support that.
Second, “free will is a fallacy” is not well formulated. The philosophical arguments about free will are full of fallacies of different kinds, but free will itself is not. “Free will is an illusion” may be better.
Third, the proposed meme is too general to enhance rationality. Where exactly is the fallacy? To become more rational, we should have things explained, not memorise slogans. (When short rationality-promoting memes are needed, I prefer those formulated as commands rather than statements of fact. “Beware of mystical thinking!” “Do not create mental models around poorly defined entities!” “Make your beliefs testable!” Those properly internalised may immunise a person against free-will bullshit without creating a false impression that (s)he knows the answer to “What is free will?”—A fallacy, of course.)
3) I don’t suggest using the word. Simply don’t discuss it at all. The meaning of “free will” is context dependent and in some situations a common interpretation (usually the legal one suggested by RolfAndreassen) can be reasonably assumed. Even then there is no cost for using a less ambiguous phrase. I have been able to live without either abusing “free will” or declaring “free will is a fallacy” for many years. (I became a determinist when I was 12 or so, but have overcome the feeling of mystery associated with free will much later, essentially after reading Yudkowsky’s articles. Meanwhile I was confused, compartmentalised a lot, and was feeling unconfortable discussing free will. Thus I tried to avoid that, and it wasn’t difficult at all—“surprisingly” nobody wanted to engage me in debates about this topic.)
I find the concept of free will cumbersome and problem inducing in discussing ethics. People hide behind it, people name it and don’t discuss it, I probably shouldn’t have called it a fallacy, I’m just frustrated people namedrop it yet be completely unable to define what precisely it adds to the discussion or why it helps (I’m not talking about LW posters).
The legal meaning of free will seems better covered by the phrase “of sound mind”.
Free will is an illusion
It seems I was holding the idiot ball when writing the phrase. I’m stealing this.
1) I don’t use the phrase at all except in discussions about paradoxical properties of the concept it usually denotes.
2) I don’t think so for several reasons:
First, the problem of free will is an interesting topic for rationalist discussion but not an important matter of rationality. Belief in free will (whatever it means) hardly causes significant problems. It may be argued that belief in free will somehow makes people more prone to religion or mystical thinking, but my personal experience does not support that.
Second, “free will is a fallacy” is not well formulated. The philosophical arguments about free will are full of fallacies of different kinds, but free will itself is not. “Free will is an illusion” may be better.
Third, the proposed meme is too general to enhance rationality. Where exactly is the fallacy? To become more rational, we should have things explained, not memorise slogans. (When short rationality-promoting memes are needed, I prefer those formulated as commands rather than statements of fact. “Beware of mystical thinking!” “Do not create mental models around poorly defined entities!” “Make your beliefs testable!” Those properly internalised may immunise a person against free-will bullshit without creating a false impression that (s)he knows the answer to “What is free will?”—A fallacy, of course.)
3) I don’t suggest using the word. Simply don’t discuss it at all. The meaning of “free will” is context dependent and in some situations a common interpretation (usually the legal one suggested by RolfAndreassen) can be reasonably assumed. Even then there is no cost for using a less ambiguous phrase. I have been able to live without either abusing “free will” or declaring “free will is a fallacy” for many years. (I became a determinist when I was 12 or so, but have overcome the feeling of mystery associated with free will much later, essentially after reading Yudkowsky’s articles. Meanwhile I was confused, compartmentalised a lot, and was feeling unconfortable discussing free will. Thus I tried to avoid that, and it wasn’t difficult at all—“surprisingly” nobody wanted to engage me in debates about this topic.)
I think I’d prefer “Free will is a confused philosophical concept”.
You are right.
I find the concept of free will cumbersome and problem inducing in discussing ethics. People hide behind it, people name it and don’t discuss it, I probably shouldn’t have called it a fallacy, I’m just frustrated people namedrop it yet be completely unable to define what precisely it adds to the discussion or why it helps (I’m not talking about LW posters).
The legal meaning of free will seems better covered by the phrase “of sound mind”.
It seems I was holding the idiot ball when writing the phrase. I’m stealing this.