Free will, freedom from what?

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Gary Childress
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Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:08 pm
Location: It's my fault

Re: Free will, freedom from what?

Post by Gary Childress »

Belinda wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2024 12:08 pm
Gary Childress wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2024 9:17 pm
Alexis Jacobi wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2024 8:53 pm What interests and concerns me is people’s belief in and sense of their relationship with divinity.
What do you think of people that don't have a relationship with divinity--or at least not an amicable one?
May I but in.
You are a good person so you have a relationship with divinity.

If a relationship with divinity is not amicable then the Thou of the relationship is not divine.
Thank you for the vote of confidence. I've been having a lot of doubts about my character lately. :oops:
Gary Childress
Posts: 11746
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:08 pm
Location: It's my fault

Re: Free will, freedom from what?

Post by Gary Childress »

Individual people may have free will, but do groups of people? If we have free will, then why are we in so many wars. No one wants wars and yet we can't seem to stop them from flaring up. Collectively we have NO free will. We are doomed to do what it is we are doomed to do. The future looks scarier than the neolithic age. We could outthink lions and bears. But will we be able to outthink the computers we program for war?
Belinda
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Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 10:13 am

Re: Free will, freedom from what?

Post by Belinda »

Gary Childress wrote: Sat Nov 02, 2024 11:40 pm Individual people may have free will, but do groups of people? If we have free will, then why are we in so many wars. No one wants wars and yet we can't seem to stop them from flaring up. Collectively we have NO free will. We are doomed to do what it is we are doomed to do. The future looks scarier than the neolithic age. We could outthink lions and bears. But will we be able to outthink the computers we program for war?
But you could be a conscientious objector. It takes extraordinary courage to defy the crowd and it takes independent mind to not accept society's name for you.
Jesus was one notable man who defied the crowd and who had independent mind. Socrates was another who defied the crowd and who had independent mind. In both cases these men died because they rebelled against the establishment.

As for AI. AI is like a wild beast that one kept as a pet but has got out of control. The thing to do is regain control of it. True, the raging tiger is more intelligent in some respects than the man but that is not sufficient reason to not control it.
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