When it comes to free will, the question is not
whether there is such a thing as free will, but rather what
is the best way to encourage socially acceptable behavior
amongst people other than by law? Now we do know enough
about our nature to realize that we tend to avoid doing
those things that arouse anger amongst our peers and tend to
do those things that gain us their praise and support. Peer
pressure is a powerful force. We don't want to be rejected
by our pack.
But, how can we make this work to our advantage if
people can always excuse themselves from censure by claiming
that they have no control over what they do? - - (much as
the Greeks used to do, blaming the act on the whim of one or
another of the gods?)
And that's where free will comes in - - we devised
free will in order to hold people responsible for their
actions, thus legitimizing the use of peer censure to
ensure good behavior. In other words, free will ‘exists’
for the same reason as do any other of the abstract concepts
that we have dreamed up - - because we find it useful.
Mind you, now that science is digging up, at near
warp speed, so much more about our genetic behavior, "free will"
may soon go the way of phlogiston and ether, but not until we have devised a workable premise to replace it with..
Cheers,
Andy Mulcahy
* * * * * * *
"Pity the poor philosopher who fervently, desperately
seeks the *Truth*
in order to avert his gaze from the reality before his eyes."
agm