A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
To my mind, this ends up being one of those things that does not matter in the slightest.I like the idea of having free will so please, prove me wrong
No matter what, you are forced to deal with reality as it presents itself. To the point that, even if you don't have "free will", and all your decisions are pre-determined, you still must make decisions, you still must act while you are alive and experiencing the reality we share.
And if anyone is worried about that whole, ridiculous argument about how criminals are then not responsible for their actions, because everything in their lives pointed them in the specific direction that caused their transgressions... my answer to that is "so what?" They can and should still be locked up because guess what? This "no free will" thing doesn't just work one way. I am also incapable of doing anything but worry for my safety with them on the streets, based on my history of experiences leading me to this moment. And the authorities don't have any choice but to act in the manner that they act - which is again a series of events and experiences leading them to the moment in which they arrest and detain said criminals.
No one gets a "get out of jail free" card... because any attribute of fundamental significance (like "free will" or "no free will") you ascribe yourself must necessarily be ascribed to all other human agents.