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SPLogan said:Do Atheists believe in free-will?
Why or why not?
Booko said:In the absence of some postulated Great-Omnipotent-Being, I don't know how one can believe in anything but free will.
But maybe someone else will explain how that's possible.
SPLogan said:What I was thinking when I asked the question is- on one hand, it seems like free-will is fundamental to atheism. On the other hand, the scientific principle of cause and effect is widely accepted by atheists.
So if every action or entity has a cause or origin, then even ideas and volition must be the effect of a particular cause. If that is true, one's will is not really free; it is bound by the forces of nature. In other words, human will is equally as free as that of inanimate objects moving through outer-space (under that line of reasoning). They will not change course unless they are made to do so by something outside of themselves.
One could simply not believe in the principal of cause and effect, or...
Maybe I'm missing something.
So this doctrine, is belief in a supernatural force or forces that effect volition?Godlike said:You're missing "compatibalism", which is the doctrine that there can be a cause-and-effect structure to everything experiential yet this can be and is in harmony with the divergent variables of freewill activity.
SPLogan said:Do Atheists believe in free-will?
Why or why not?
IanAlmighty said:It is up to each person to decide what they choose to believe in.
Free will, like other things, is believed in different extremities, there is no black and white. I believe there are many things which affect us, causing a great pain in determining whether we really ever make decisions without someone else's influence.
Free will is a must to believe in, because without the simple belief in it, no one would ever take responsibility for their own actions.
IanAlmighty said:Free will is a must to believe in, because without the simple belief in it, no one would ever take responsibility for their own actions.
SPLogan said:What I was thinking when I asked the question is- on one hand, it seems like free-will is fundamental to atheism. On the other hand, the scientific principle of cause and effect is widely accepted by atheists.
So if every action or entity has a cause or origin, then even ideas and volition must be the effect of a particular cause. If that is true, one's will is not really free; it is bound by the forces of nature. In other words, human will is equally as free as that of inanimate objects moving through outer-space (under that line of reasoning). They will not change course unless they are made to do so by something outside of themselves.
One could simply not believe in the principal of cause and effect, or...
Maybe I'm missing something.
Perhaps you're right.Sunstone said:I'm curious why you think free will is fundamental to atheism? It seems to me that belief in free will is no more fundamental to atheism than is belief that organges contain vitamin C. So, could you explain to me please how belief in free will is fundamental to atheism?
Ryan2065 said:I believe in free will to a point...
If there were no laws then there would be many more crimes against other people (note not like tax evasion) so this leads me to believe that to a point there is some choice in the actions people do make.
Kinda like the nature vs nurture debate... A little of both =)