Philosophy Now Forum

I think we can agree on the fact that brain is a set of neurons which they interact with each other. Any mental state, physical state of brain, leads into another mental state by following laws of physics. This is a deterministic chain of causality. Free will in another hand is the ability to initiate or terminate a chain of causality. This is true since we are dealing with two options in an undecided situation which this requires an agent to choose one of the options and initiate a chain of causality. This, initiating or terminating a causal chain, is impossible in a physical/deterministic world. Therefore compatibilism is impossible.

What kind of determinism are we talking about here? The genetic or the "all time already exists"?

The genetic one can be compatibilistic, because genetic patterns can be broken (although it does not happen very often).

The all-time-exists however is truly unbreakable.

QuantumT wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:58 pm What kind of determinism are we talking about here? The genetic or the "all time already exists"?

By determinism I mean when a state of affair uniquely defines coming state of affairs. In case of human, if determinism is true, any state of affair is related to genetic and all life experiences.

QuantumT wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:58 pm The genetic one can be compatibilistic, because genetic patterns can be broken (although it does not happen very often).

The all-time-exists however is truly unbreakable.

I don't think that genetic pattern breaks every time we decide.

I realise that much has been said about compatibilism, however this is a new subject for me.

On first brush, it appears to me that the core definition of compatibilism can be expressed in the sense of the following: determinism and free will can exist together without conflict.

From my limited viewpoint, the claim that determinism and non-determinism can exist together is a contradiction. I am utterly perplexed that anyone could argue for the validity of compatibilism or any of its subtypes.

Also, I have not yet found a free (i.e., free of charge) reference for genetic determinism. Any decent link would be appreciated.