Comments on a question of will

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Good Question.

Something to ponder.

posted by Kolekshuns on May 24, 2009 at 4:29 AM | link to this | reply

Hmm. This is very thought-provoking. Shades of pre-destination and all that.

posted by Rockingrector_retd on May 24, 2009 at 12:19 AM | link to this | reply

A Wonderfully creative poem OTA...what makes a free spirit free. The loss of self???

posted by yellowrose55 on May 23, 2009 at 9:09 PM | link to this | reply

My attitude stems from me, going to tell God that I believe in Jesus. Then que sera sera whatever will be will be / The future’s not ours to see / Que sera sera … love. BCA, Bill:::J Roost

posted by BC-A on May 23, 2009 at 8:41 AM | link to this | reply

This is one of those chicken or the egg things.

But, when it all comes down, I believe we have free will.

posted by Joe_Love on May 23, 2009 at 12:05 AM | link to this | reply

OTA

Free, is the one one word that gets me going, I crave for it. Yeterday the q you posed was so fine that I wote a blog on it.

posted by Bhaskar.ing on May 22, 2009 at 9:22 PM | link to this | reply

We do have free will ...

posted by Chilitree on May 21, 2009 at 1:26 AM | link to this | reply

Freewill probably only exists in the mind! Open one's mouth and a new thought will emerge on the idea! Very thought provoking post too! sam

posted by sam444 on May 19, 2009 at 2:14 PM | link to this | reply

I have often thought of this too...

I think that we DO have free will, BUT it is in the context of being human - that means while it is 'free' it is not omnipotent (all-powerful) and it is also conditioned by our upbringing and environment, and as you say Lutheran or Hindu or whatever...pass on usually, completely unquestioned teachings that their recipients take as 'God's truth' without thinking for themselves.

In other words our will is 'conditioned' for most of us, knowingly or unknowingly and while we THINK we are making free choices, we are coming from a place where our choices are largely determined by our education...so we have the impression of making free choices, but they are not really.

To have completely free will, I think we need to be aware of the myriad influences upon us and become detached from them as much as possible. Even then, like a 'çompletely objective' wise judge or king - we use our faculties like reason, emotion, compassion - even indigestion! - that can influence us and our decisions.

Maybe computers, random number generators, have about as much 'free will' as is possible on the materialistic/physical plain of life???

Interesting question. Maybe at a higher level of consciousness - in the spirit world - our will is potentially free, really free! I have come to understand that in the field of quantum mechanics which deals with the infinitesimally small, there are laws (cf. the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, etc.) which mathematically are completely free. - Nobody can predict the way the choice will go!

Amazingly though, human perception itself! - can determine the outcome of one of these uncertain events. Real experiments show that waves and particles at the quantum level behave differently according to whether they are being observed or not!

Well, food for thought

Jonathan/Raphael

posted by Raphael222 on May 19, 2009 at 9:42 AM | link to this | reply

Wonderfully Thought Provoking

We deprive ourselves of free will for the most part.

posted by texture on May 19, 2009 at 9:14 AM | link to this | reply

OTA

Free to believe and free to "be"....