Plain and simple, if you base your future decisions exclusively on past experiences you are on autopilot. Try it out yourself. Next time you have to make any decision, no matter how small, think about what you would normally do, and then do something different. Instead of sitting in the back at a party, just go up and talk to someone; your night could go completely differently. Personal experience 
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
[quote]THE_CLAMP_DOWN wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
Iâm not talking about the free will in acceptance of God. Iâm talking about in our ordinary lives. I personally am under the belief that our actions are caused by previous experiences. Think about it: Why do you chose the food you will eat? Because you learned it tastes good or maybe healthy? So when you go out to eat, is it your taste buds or desire to be healthy your driving motive or is it entirely your choice outside of these contexts?
If we follow this type of logic, most of our actions on earth can be purely attributed from experience.[/quote]
âYou take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.â
Your about to enter a rabbit hole there , boy.[/quote]
You two have some logical arguments, and I see what you all are saying. I might say it is a little general, but logical arguments non the less.[/quote]
Of course itâs general, but we can extrapolate it further. The majority of people follow their religion because there parents followed it as well. These kids âexperiencedâ it at a young age. If you choose to follow another religion, some previous âexperienceâ will guide you to another.
For instance, say you were raised in a family that did not practice religion. In college, you meet a group of friends who are highly religious. Based on your new experience with this group, you might find this religion enjoyable. One reason you could find it enjoyable is that you âexperiencedâ something previously that tells you itâs enjoyable. If you find it repulsive, it could be because you âexperiencedâ something from your past that makes it repulsive.
So really, are we just the current sum of our experiences? Does free will even exist?[/quote]
I see your point. I might not agree with it, but your experiences might be different than mine. I will say that most new Christians are first time Christians. Maybe not here in the US, but worldwide yes. How do you explain a Muslim becoming a Christian? By doing this his family will disown him. I say this because a friend of mine was raised Muslim. He even speaks a form of Arabic. He went to God directly to show him the truth. He used the Bible and asked questions of different Christian Pastors and Priest. Once he became a Christian he was disowned. His sister still spoke with him, and saw that what he had was the truth. She became a Christian. Then another sibling became a Christian, and finally both parents became Christians. This happening in a family is beyond comprehension and took a period of 15-20 years.
IMO One thing that people here in the US have an issue with Christianity is the Mysticism involved with it. The Mystery that is hard to proove. We so want to have proof of everything that is in the Bible. Third world countries and Eastern Philosophy traditions understand the mysticism. There are things that we will never be able to explain, but that is where faith comes in. From my experiences I am going to trust God to know what is best for me than my inferior brain. I will not trust another human being to know what is best for me, but God I will. I beleive that Jesus was both God and Man so since he is God I will trust him.[/quote]
You and your friends experiences have determined your actions. This only further supports what Iâm saying. Free will is an idea that doesnât work. Experience is the driver.
[/quote]
So you are saying that your experiences of God has driven you away from him, or has your experiences of people who say they follow God hampered that experience? Have you truely had an experience with God?
I see your point and I think we are trying to explain the same thing, but looking at it from a different perspective. You are calling it experiences and I call it Free Will. I really enjoy your perspective on different topics, and the fact you are willing to listen as I am.
At any point I can change the way I think and do something different, not because of my experiences, but because I want to try something new. We have a choice and that choice whatever it is IMO is Free Will. Maybe based on experiences but Free Will to make a choice non the less.
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
Plain and simple, if you base your future decisions exclusively on past experiences you are on autopilot. Try it out yourself. Next time you have to make any decision, no matter how small, think about what you would normally do, and then do something different. Instead of sitting in the back at a party, just go up and talk to someone; your night could go completely differently. Personal experience ;)[/quote]
But doesnât this support my theory too? At the party, I will remember this experience on the T-Nation forum and alter my decision for the night.
I really donât think the idea of free will holds much substance. If it is just the âact of making my own choicesâ, how do people come to those choices? I think we demonstrated that itâs through experiences which we donât necessarily control. This is a little scary cause it could lead to the idea that we arenât really in control of our actions. Our experiences are.
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
At any point I can change the way I think and do something different, not because of my experiences, but because I want to try something new. We have a choice and that choice whatever it is IMO is Free Will. Maybe based on experiences but Free Will to make a choice non the less.[/quote]
Iâm putting forth the only reason you would try something new is because of an experience where you learned you should try something new and different. Say you never experienced anything new, do you think you would say âI need to mix it up a bitâ unless you knew there was something else out there?
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
Plain and simple, if you base your future decisions exclusively on past experiences you are on autopilot. Try it out yourself. Next time you have to make any decision, no matter how small, think about what you would normally do, and then do something different. Instead of sitting in the back at a party, just go up and talk to someone; your night could go completely differently. Personal experience ;)[/quote]
But doesnât this support my theory too? At the party, I will remember this experience on the T-Nation forum and alter my decision for the night.
I really donât think the idea of free will holds much substance. If it is just the âact of making my own choicesâ, how do people come to those choices? I think we demonstrated that itâs through experiences which we donât necessarily control. This is a little scary cause it could lead to the idea that we arenât really in control of our actions. Our experiences are.[/quote]
I knew you were going to say that, BUT you donât have to take my advice. You are wrapped up in your idea that we donât have choices. Let it go. You can let it go. Play a different card. I would have to assume something in your personal life is influencing you to think that you donât have a choice. you have to get past that. You have a choice. The examples are all around you of people who have. You can see them ever day.
Read âThe 8th Habitâ by Steven Covey. Great book. it talks about that point of reaction to stimulus.
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
So you are saying that your experiences of God has driven you away from him, or has your experiences of people who say they follow God hampered that experience? Have you truely had an experience with God?
[/quote]
BTW, I havenât said either. Iâm not talking about God or religion, but just the idea of free will vs experienced based decisions.
Thanks, Iâm enjoying this discussion as well 
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
Plain and simple, if you base your future decisions exclusively on past experiences you are on autopilot. Try it out yourself. Next time you have to make any decision, no matter how small, think about what you would normally do, and then do something different. Instead of sitting in the back at a party, just go up and talk to someone; your night could go completely differently. Personal experience ;)[/quote]
But doesnât this support my theory too? At the party, I will remember this experience on the T-Nation forum and alter my decision for the night.
I really donât think the idea of free will holds much substance. If it is just the âact of making my own choicesâ, how do people come to those choices? I think we demonstrated that itâs through experiences which we donât necessarily control. This is a little scary cause it could lead to the idea that we arenât really in control of our actions. Our experiences are.[/quote]
I knew you were going to say that, BUT you donât have to take my advice. You are wrapped up in your idea that we donât have choices. Let it go. You can let it go. Play a different card. I would have to assume something in your personal life is influencing you to think that you donât have a choice. you have to get past that. You have a choice. The examples are all around you of people who have. You can see them ever day.
Read âThe 8th Habitâ by Steven Covey. Great book. it talks about that point of reaction to stimulus. [/quote]
LOL, sorry honest_lifter
I totally understand what youâre saying, but I just find it so interesting! Cause if this is true, then the implications are vast.
Iâll add âThe 8th Habitâ to my amazon list. I read â7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleâ back in school, so I always enjoy these types.
Thank you!
Okay, Iâm done for today. See you guys later!
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
So what about you Clamp? I am offering you the Red Pill. Would you accept it, or would you prefer the Blue Pill that has worked for so long?[/quote]
The Blue Pill is the belief system. Your identity. Your religion, your political party, your views on sex, drugs, abortions, etc.
The Red Pill is no knowledge. no beliefs. no images. The Red Pill lets you see everything as it is, without the comparison of the old, without the tainted perspective.
The Red Pill allows you to live in the present. The Red Pill allows you to express free will.
The Blue Pill - you live in the past. All the while allowing your knowledge (its always old) to dictate how you act and feel in the present.
What pill did you take Maddox?
I have written extensively on Free Will, but I am not going to get into it. Here is one of my intros for a paper, though.
âYouâre a product of our language, and how our laws are and how we believe our God wants us. Every bitty molecule about you has already been thought out by some million people before you. Anything you can do is boring and old and perfectly okay. Youâre safe because youâre so trapped inside your culture. Anything you can conceive of is fine because you can conceive of it. You canât imagine any way to escape. Thereâs no way you can get out. The world is your cradle and your trap. And if you can find any way out of your culture, thatâs a trap, too. Just wanting to get out of the trap reinforces the trap.â Chuck Palahniuk
Society is simply the relationship between man and man. Our present society is built upon a relationship of acquisitiveness. Most of us want money, power, property, etc. We want prestige and position. We want to change ourselves. Become different people. Move up in the world. As long as we are acquisitive, we belong to this society. We are dependent on it and therefore, not free.
To be free, one must not want any of these things. One shall remain simply as they are with great humility. To be free, you must understand the various influences in your life. The influence of your parents, your government, of society, the culture that you belong to, your beliefs, your gods and superstitions, and traditions you conform to unconsciously. This takes deep insight. Most will not be free. They will be too afraid. Too afraid of not doing the right thing or too afraid of what others will think. To be free you cannot be afraid.
Do I feel I am free? As much as the trap will allow me to be (which is a level higher than most will ever attain).
I compare it to a prison. Most of us are stuck in solitary confinement. It is the lucky ones, however, who, after good behavior (Awareness), are moved to a regular cell and allowed to go outside. To go outside to breath the fresh air, to see the rustic leaves and wind blowing, to smell the sweat air of seasons changing. They are not free though. Snipers sit in towers. An electric fence guards the compound. Guards determine how long you are allowed for this brief escape from your cell. You cannot abandon the prison and its controls just like you cannot abandon your human nature and conditioning.
And if you bust out of the prison, you soon come to realize that itâs because they let you out. But now the world is your prison. The trapâŠwas bigger then you thought.
Is this âlimitedâ amount of choices available to us that believe in the Bible like a straight jacket or a seat belt?
[quote]Petermus wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
[quote]THE_CLAMP_DOWN wrote:
So no free will in heaven I am assuming?
That seems simple enough.
What I have asked has been discussed in the bible?
Thats a bad thing?
A world that is known. Without uncertainty. and fear . and pain. This is what we want. And as expected, this is what Heaven is.
?
â
What if we took the reward and punishment out of it? See if believers would still âbelieveâ? Take out this happy thing called Heaven and this scary thing called Hell, and see if people would still âpraise the lordâ.
Believing in JC can be said to be the same as the requirement of loving JC, right? Love JC and get in heaven. But there can be no love where there is fear of hell and no love where there are thoughts of heaven (which give you pleasure). Love is without thoughts and reasons ( like you and your daughter. You simply love âwhat isâ.)
So yeah, it is my âbeliefâ that the Christian population (among all other scary religions) would decrease by 99.9% if removed of the reward-punishment scheme.
To which you say: ya soooâŠits still belief. Its still love.
To which I say: itâs fake. [/quote]
Are there any self help books that you follow, and love, that have really made you a better person?[/quote]
While Orthodox jews believe in an after life, others believe in no after life at all (dunno where they got that from?) Islam does have a hell but you are only their for a short period of time unless ur like Hitler times ten then you get left there. the large majority skip hell all together. I will also add that Ive already said in a previous post that the difference between a religious person and a christian is that while a religious person follows a code of morals and ethics for reward or fear of punishment, Christians through their relationship with christ desire to live in his imagine. People who follow christ for the sake of reward are no different then non believersâŠclearly shown in luke 15, parable of the lost son.
There is free will in heaven, as there is on earth. You can choose to sin but it is not without consequence. God simply will not allow heaven to be mucked up by sin. ObviouslyâŠnothing good can come from sin.
The bible talks constantly about many questions youâve asked.
The earth is filled with sin and consequently death, disease etcâŠany and all behavior the bible marks as sin. In heaven we dwell with God and live as God intended us to. Eden sounds like a great place to me, but thats just my opinion. [/quote]
Muslims also believe in something like purgatory.
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
Iâve heard people mention âfree willâ a few times throughout this thread. My question is, why do you think you have free will to the extent that you do? I donât believe that free will doesnât exist (suicide demonstrates this), but are we really as free as we think?
IMO, no.[/quote]
Yes, good you have an opinion, now prove it.
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
Iâve heard people mention âfree willâ a few times throughout this thread. My question is, why do you think you have free will to the extent that you do? I donât believe that free will doesnât exist (suicide demonstrates this), but are we really as free as we think?
IMO, no.[/quote]
Yes, good you have an opinion, now prove it.[/quote]
If you read the thread, you wouldnât have posted this.
[quote]THE_CLAMP_DOWN wrote:
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
So what about you Clamp? I am offering you the Red Pill. Would you accept it, or would you prefer the Blue Pill that has worked for so long?[/quote]
The Blue Pill is the belief system. Your identity. Your religion, your political party, your views on sex, drugs, abortions, etc.
The Red Pill is no knowledge. no beliefs. no images. The Red Pill lets you see everything as it is, without the comparison of the old, without the tainted perspective.
The Red Pill allows you to live in the present. The Red Pill allows you to express free will.
The Blue Pill - you live in the past. All the while allowing your knowledge (its always old) to dictate how you act and feel in the present.
What pill did you take Maddox?
I have written extensively on Free Will, but I am not going to get into it. Here is one of my intros for a paper, though.
âYouâre a product of our language, and how our laws are and how we believe our God wants us. Every bitty molecule about you has already been thought out by some million people before you. Anything you can do is boring and old and perfectly okay. Youâre safe because youâre so trapped inside your culture. Anything you can conceive of is fine because you can conceive of it. You canât imagine any way to escape. Thereâs no way you can get out. The world is your cradle and your trap. And if you can find any way out of your culture, thatâs a trap, too. Just wanting to get out of the trap reinforces the trap.â Chuck Palahniuk
Society is simply the relationship between man and man. Our present society is built upon a relationship of acquisitiveness. Most of us want money, power, property, etc. We want prestige and position. We want to change ourselves. Become different people. Move up in the world. As long as we are acquisitive, we belong to this society. We are dependent on it and therefore, not free.
To be free, one must not want any of these things. One shall remain simply as they are with great humility. To be free, you must understand the various influences in your life. The influence of your parents, your government, of society, the culture that you belong to, your beliefs, your gods and superstitions, and traditions you conform to unconsciously. This takes deep insight. Most will not be free. They will be too afraid. Too afraid of not doing the right thing or too afraid of what others will think. To be free you cannot be afraid.
Do I feel I am free? As much as the trap will allow me to be (which is a level higher than most will ever attain).
I compare it to a prison. Most of us are stuck in solitary confinement. It is the lucky ones, however, who, after good behavior (Awareness), are moved to a regular cell and allowed to go outside. To go outside to breath the fresh air, to see the rustic leaves and wind blowing, to smell the sweat air of seasons changing. They are not free though. Snipers sit in towers. An electric fence guards the compound. Guards determine how long you are allowed for this brief escape from your cell. You cannot abandon the prison and its controls just like you cannot abandon your human nature and conditioning.
And if you bust out of the prison, you soon come to realize that itâs because they let you out. But now the world is your prison. The trapâŠwas bigger then you thought.
[/quote]
I would like to turn the coin over. I see what you are saying as the complete opposite. I can see your reasoning for your thoughts. I have been trying to think of a topic, Why America Hates Christians. This might be a very strong term to use, but the belief that Christians are shackled, in jail, or mentally weak is very prevalant in this time. I beleive that once you truley have an experience or relationship with Jesus Christ you truely will live life to the fullest. The grass is truely greener on the other side. Most people do not want to come into the light because the light shows all our imperfections. It is only the brave that want to fix those imperfections and cast off the shackles of sin. I would encourage you to try to look to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and truely get to know him. Once you look to him as someone trying to do what is best for you, and loving you, you will be able to see what I am saying.
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
Iâve heard people mention âfree willâ a few times throughout this thread. My question is, why do you think you have free will to the extent that you do? I donât believe that free will doesnât exist (suicide demonstrates this), but are we really as free as we think?
IMO, no.[/quote]
I see your point.
IMO to those who do not listen to God you have all the free will your heart desires. To those who listen to and accept the discipline of God then our free will is a bit controlled or restricted. For example, and this might be too simple, but growing up when my Dad would be driving and all of a sudden he would throw his arm in front of me when he made a very abrupt stop. I think God does this to us, saying that is far enough. The question is will our free will move his arm out of the way and continue doing what we want to do, or will we hold on to his arm to protect us. The more we push aside Godâs arm the easier it becomes to continue to push his arm aside. Do bad things happen to good people? Yes they do, and my mind will never be able to fathom why this is. I can speculate, but I will really never know. I would love to think that all people will go to heaven, but IMO not everyone will. God loves us, but hates sin. Sin is what separates us from God. He loves us so much that he gave us a way so that we can know and walk with him. Our free will allows us to accept him or reject him. I believe that is a lot of free will.[/quote]
Iâm not talking about the free will in acceptance of God. Iâm talking about in our ordinary lives. I personally am under the belief that our actions are caused by previous experiences. Think about it: Why do you chose the food you will eat? Because you learned it tastes good or maybe healthy? So when you go out to eat, is it your taste buds or desire to be healthy your driving motive or is it entirely your choice outside of these contexts?
If we follow this type of logic, most of our actions on earth can be purely attributed from experience.[/quote]
Contrary, we first define free will. Free will is 1) the ability to choose or act as one rationally wishes even if predictable and 2) to do something even if it is against status quo.
We have free will in the ultimate way possible given our human abilities. Looking at your example, if you go to a restaurant and eat steak and potatoes usually, your free will is not gone just because you choose to eat steak and potatoes again.
[quote]dmaddox wrote:
[quote]THE_CLAMP_DOWN wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
Iâm not talking about the free will in acceptance of God. Iâm talking about in our ordinary lives. I personally am under the belief that our actions are caused by previous experiences. Think about it: Why do you chose the food you will eat? Because you learned it tastes good or maybe healthy? So when you go out to eat, is it your taste buds or desire to be healthy your driving motive or is it entirely your choice outside of these contexts?
If we follow this type of logic, most of our actions on earth can be purely attributed from experience.[/quote]
âYou take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.â
Your about to enter a rabbit hole there , boy.[/quote]
You two have some logical arguments, and I see what you all are saying. I might say it is a little general, but logical arguments non the less.[/quote]
I wish to point out that choosing based on experience does not equal lack of free will.
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
If you feel your experiences modify your current behavior, well that would be a personal decision to allow that, no?[/quote]
But my current behavior is the result of my past experiences. For example, take a dog that was beat by itâs owner. That dog will naturally be hostile towards people. These previous experience will effect future decisions this dog makes.
Okay, Iâm going to lay it out there: I donât believe free will exists. All of our decisions we make in our lives are based on previous experiences. These previous experiences are the essence which guides are future decisions.
Could someone who believes in free will attempt to disapprove this? I really believe this is correct.[/quote]
So you are saying the people that had alcoholic parents, that were alcoholics themselves, and stopped drinking did this sans free will?
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
If you feel your experiences modify your current behavior, well that would be a personal decision to allow that, no?[/quote]
But my current behavior is the result of my past experiences. For example, take a dog that was beat by itâs owner. That dog will naturally be hostile towards people. These previous experience will effect future decisions this dog makes.
Okay, Iâm going to lay it out there: I donât believe free will exists. All of our decisions we make in our lives are based on previous experiences. These previous experiences are the essence which guides are future decisions.
Could someone who believes in free will attempt to disapprove this? I really believe this is correct.[/quote]
So you are saying the people that had alcoholic parents, that were alcoholics themselves, and stopped drinking did this sans free will?[/quote]
They did this through there experiences gained from their parents being alcoholics as well as themselves. These experiences were the reason why they were driven to stop consuming alcohol.
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
Looking at your example, if you go to a restaurant and eat steak and potatoes usually, your free will is not gone just because you choose to eat steak and potatoes again.[/quote]
Correct, but that doesnât mean it existed in the first place.
Iâve been reading this thread and I see people are asking some great questions! I would like to respond to the original topic of this thread. According to the Bible God created humans to live on earth. Genesis 1:28 states that the first human pair were to âbecome fruitful and become many,â so had the first human pair not sinned Godâs original purpose for humans was that Adam and Eve along with their perfect children to eventually extend the Garden of Eden throughout the whole earth. Thatâs why Isaiah 45:18 states "The Lord created the heavens. He is God. He formed the earth and made it. He set it firmly in place. He didnât create it to be empty. Instead, he formed it for people to live on. He says, âI am the Lord. There is no other Lord.â Thatâs why there are many scriptures such as Psalm 37:29 that states âthe meek one themselves will possess the earth,â and Jesus also stated this at Matthew 5:5 where he said âHappy are the mild tempered since they will inherit the earth.â But we all know that Godâs original purpose for humnans got side tracked when Adam and Eve sinned. But if we look the first couple of chapters of Genesis we can find the answers to alot of questions that are often debated such as what happens when we die and if we are tormented in Hell.
Before Adam sinned God clearly explained to Adam the restriction and the PENALTY that would be inflicted on him if he disobeyed. Genesis 2:17 clearly states âBut you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die.â Notice that he did not say Iâm going to put you in a place of torment or seperate you from me. He just said that he would DIE. The opposite of that is living forever which is the prospect Adam had in front of him had he not sinned. Once Adam sinned God went a step further and explained to him exactly what would happen when he died. Genesis 3:19 states âYou will have to work hard and sweat a lot to produce the food you eat. You were made out of the ground. And you will return to it. You are dust. So you will return to it.â Again notice he did not say Iâm going to make your body turn to dust and your soul or spirit is going to burn forever in fire. Adamâs penalty was just DEATH. Genesis 2:7 states âThen the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the DUST OF THE GROUND. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person.â Thatâs how God created humans. The same elements found in dust God used to create us. Notice it does not state that Body was formed from the dust and a spirit and soul was added to become a living person.
Roman 5:12 links the penalty that was giving to Adam to all of his descendants. The verse states âSin entered the world because one man sinned. And death came because of sin. Everyone sinned, so death came to all people.â Romans 6:23 explains this further which states âWhen you sin, THE PAY YOU GET IS DEATH. But God gives you the gift of eternal life because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.â And that is why once you die Romans 6:7 states âFor he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin.â How can that be? Because you have paid the penalty that God inflicted on Adam and was passed on to all of us by dying. Thats why Luke states at Acts 24:15 that there is going to be a âresurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous.â Again, why will unrighteous people be resurrected? Itâs because they died and and Romans 6:7 states they have been acquitted or released from sin. They have paid the penalty that they have inherited from Adam. So once you die if youâre no longer held to the sins you made while alive there could not be an eternal place of torment after death.
Iâm probably approaching my word limit if there is such a thing so Iâll stop here. But there are DOZENS of scriptures in the Bible that plainly and clearly state the condition of the dead and that people who go to heaven have a SPECIFIC job function once theyâre there. If anyone wants to know the scriptures Iâll respond to his\her post. There is only ONE TRUTH not dozens and the Bible is not left up to interpretation. If that were the case how could God hold anyone accountable if the Bible were left up to that individualâs interpretation?
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]BackInAction wrote:
[quote]honest_lifter wrote:
If you feel your experiences modify your current behavior, well that would be a personal decision to allow that, no?[/quote]
But my current behavior is the result of my past experiences. For example, take a dog that was beat by itâs owner. That dog will naturally be hostile towards people. These previous experience will effect future decisions this dog makes.
Okay, Iâm going to lay it out there: I donât believe free will exists. All of our decisions we make in our lives are based on previous experiences. These previous experiences are the essence which guides are future decisions.
Could someone who believes in free will attempt to disapprove this? I really believe this is correct.[/quote]
So you are saying the people that had alcoholic parents, that were alcoholics themselves, and stopped drinking did this sans free will?[/quote]
They did this through there experiences gained from their parents being alcoholics as well as themselves. These experiences were the reason why they were driven to stop consuming alcohol.[/quote]
So, if they choose to continue drinking alcohol they lack free will, and if they choose to quit (even if they crave it from past experiences) they lack free will. All I see so far is that people use their free will + knowledge to choose. Free will is not contained in a vacuum where lack of memory allows you to make ânew choicesâ each time you choose even if familiar.