This topic has been buzzing around my mind for a while, so I figure it's time to externalize it. "Free will is an illusion" is a meme that I've seen quite a lot on this site especially. I don't think most people who repeat it have thought much about it.

Yeah, materialism (which I hear is popular around here) suggests a mechanistic universe, one without true randomness, defined solely by predictable input and output. That contradicts our intuition about independent free will, which seems unpredictable (or at least not fully predictable) when we experience it. I don't think a fully mechanistic universe is incompatible with free will, though - in fact, I think that any coherent definition of free will must necessarily exist even under a materialist lens. Those of you who are (like me) pop-philosophy dilettantes probably know that this position is called "compatibilism".

Obviously, though, people disagree. I want to know why. If you don't believe that free will exists, under what circumstances do you think it would exist? What do you think would change if it did exist according to your definition?

  • queenjamie [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    What happens, do they get owned big time on the askphil reddit by people who have actually read philosophy?

      • queenjamie [none/use name]
        ·
        3 years ago

        ‘nothing means anything anymore cause i just wanted to meditate and sam harris app told me everything is meaningless and i have no agency please help’

        Lol. Got any interesting story in particular I should check out?