Is granting free will a moral good?

[Polarbear]

Is it morally good to grant free will to a being that didn't previously posess it?

Here is a link to an online dictionary that defines free will: free will - definition of free will by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

By either definition, free will is impossible, and therefore I can't answer this question.

 

[Skwim]

How does one go about granting free will?

 

[Falvlun]

How does one go about granting free will?

Well, first you light some candles (gotta set the right mood), then you take out some magic fairy dust (the pink stuff, not that cheap purple kind), and wave your wand (with a unicorn hair core, duh), intoning "Hey! Ho! Picadilly-dill! Give all those people some awesome free-will!"

 

[Quintessence]

By either definition, free will is impossible, and therefore I can't answer this question.

Doesn't the first one simply imply the absence of coercion? From that point of view, most of us regard coercion as a bad thing, so cessation of nefarious manipulation could be regarded as a "moral good" to human minds.

 

[Falvlun]

Is it morally good to grant free will to a being that didn't previously posess it?

Here is a link to an online dictionary that defines free will: free will - definition of free will by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

I much prefer the idea of being personally involved in my decisions, to that of being an automaton, so yes, I believe that should a Being have the ability to bestow free-will, then it would be morally good for it to do so.

 

[McBell]

Doesn't the first one simply imply the absence of coercion? From that point of view, most of us regard coercion as a bad thing, so cessation of nefarious manipulation could be regarded as a "moral good" to human minds.

Some people take free will to mean that you should be all powerful.
I.E.
you should be able to jump off a really tall building and fly.
Since you cannot fly, you cannot have free will.

 

[Skwim]

Well, first you light some candles (gotta set the right mood), then you take out some magic fairy dust (the pink stuff, not that cheap purple kind), and wave your wand (with a unicorn hair core, duh), intoning "Hey! Ho! Picadilly-dill! Give all those people some awesome free-will!"

Pink huh, Hmmmm. That does make it difficult.:sad:

 

[McBell]

Some people take free will to mean that you should be all powerful.
I.E.
you should be able to jump off a really tall building and fly.
Since you cannot fly, you cannot have free will.

Some people also think that knowing what will happen before it happens negates freewill.

If I know that leaving a steak on the table my dog will jump up and eat it if I leave the house, I have removed the dogs free will merely by knowing that he will eat the steak while I am gone.

 

[Quintessence]

Some people take free will to mean that you should be all powerful.
I.E.
you should be able to jump off a really tall building and fly.
Since you cannot fly, you cannot have free will.

That... is very strange. I don't see omnipotence and free will as being the same concept. Where have you encountered this, out of curiosity?

 

[McBell]

That... is very strange. I don't see omnipotence and free will as being the same concept. Where have you encountered this, out of curiosity?

Both examples I have presented are from right here on RF.

 

[Skwim]

Some people also think that knowing what will happen before it happens negates freewill.

If I know that leaving a steak on the table my dog will jump up and eat it if I leave the house, I have removed the dogs free will merely by knowing that he will eat the steak while I am gone.

But one wouldn't know this as an absolute fact, just as a high probability.

 

[Quintessence]

Both examples I have presented are from right here on RF.

Dang. Makes me wonder how common such a viewpoint is. Not possible for us to say, unfortunately, without doing a well-designed survey on the matter. Wouldn't surprise me if a study already exists... *ponders digging around for it* ... nah.

 

[McBell]

which I don't believe most free willers would say is removing his free will.

Thus the reason I said "some".

 

[Skwim]

Thus the reason I said "some".

As you may have noticed I changed my answer. I misread your post. Mea culpa.

 

[McBell]

As you may have noticed I changed my answer. I misread your post. Mea culpa.

But one wouldn't know this as an absolute fact, just as a high probability.

I wouldn't?
Why wouldn't I?
I know for a fact that if I leave my steak on the table and leave the house it will be eaten by the dog.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Doesn't the first one simply imply the absence of coercion? From that point of view, most of us regard coercion as a bad thing, so cessation of nefarious manipulation could be regarded as a "moral good" to human minds.

Lack of coercion would imply lack of empathy, emotion, and all other sorts of outside forces not including something as simple as the laws of physics.

Would you say you have free will? I'd pity the person who does.

 

[Skwim]

I wouldn't?
Why wouldn't I?
I know for a fact that if I leave my steak on the table and leave the house it will be eaten by the dog.

The dog might get sick and not care for a steak or anything else. The dog might slip on the floor and break its leg. Or, the dog might simply die the moment you closed the door. Highly unlikely events, but still possibilities.

 

[Me Myself]

That... is very strange. I don't see omnipotence and free will as being the same concept. Where have you encountered this, out of curiosity?

Technically speaking, if you cannot do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING then your will is limited.

So if your will was going to be limited anyways, why not limit it to only do "good" ? why give us the ability to do bad? We were not going to be given all the abilities, then why give us abilities that hurt other people and us?

You could say the will is not entirely free if it is limited.

 

[tempter]

Is it morally good to grant free will to a being that didn't previously posess it?

Here is a link to an online dictionary that defines free will: free will - definition of free will by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Granting it being moral or not, what is immoral, IMO, is granting it, then punishing those who choose the opposite of what you want them to choose.
God: I'm going to give man free will
Man: OK, I don't choose to accept you
God: I condemn you to hell!
God = immoral (as well as a jerk, d*bag, *hole, poorly thought out, etc)