B
Bahman
Guest
In the following I try to open a discussion that our free will is not purely casual assuming that free will exist. First I simply provide the claim then open the discussion to see what is the role of free will in breaking the chain of causality.
Claims:
Chain of causality: A continuous sequence of events in which a former event cause later event. Diagrammatically, this can be represented as E1->E2 in which event E1 causes (->) E2. The chain of events are continuous in reality however we experience them discrete.
Choices: The choices means that there is at least two mental state are available for a situation.
Argument for the first claim: This can be shown to lead to Epiphenomenalism or turns us to a part of a bigger machine called world.
Epiphenomenalism means that our mind just experience events caused by physical states and cannot cause anything. This can be shown with the following argument:
It is pretty obvious that necessary and sufficient condition for E3 to take place is the occurrence of E2 and not M2 which means the mind state M2 has nothing to do with E3. This is called epiphenomalism.
We are a part of a machine otherwise if the chain of events is as following
Argument for the second claim: This can be shown that resolve the problem of last argument.
Claims:
- We are pare of a simple machine working based on chain of causality or epiphenomealism is true without free will.
- The chain of causality has to break at one point when at least two choices are available. It is then the duty of intellect plus free will to make a choice and start a new causal chain until other decision is involved.
Chain of causality: A continuous sequence of events in which a former event cause later event. Diagrammatically, this can be represented as E1->E2 in which event E1 causes (->) E2. The chain of events are continuous in reality however we experience them discrete.
Choices: The choices means that there is at least two mental state are available for a situation.
Argument for the first claim: This can be shown to lead to Epiphenomenalism or turns us to a part of a bigger machine called world.
Epiphenomenalism means that our mind just experience events caused by physical states and cannot cause anything. This can be shown with the following argument:
- E1->E2
- E2->M2 and E2->E3
It is pretty obvious that necessary and sufficient condition for E3 to take place is the occurrence of E2 and not M2 which means the mind state M2 has nothing to do with E3. This is called epiphenomalism.
We are a part of a machine otherwise if the chain of events is as following
- E1->M1
- M1->M2
- M2->E2
Argument for the second claim: This can be shown that resolve the problem of last argument.
- E1->M1 and M2 in which M1 can lead to E1* and M2 can lead to E2*. By * I mean this events can only take place depending on whether intellect choose either of them.
- The intellect will be in mixed mind state of M1 and M2 until decision is made and one mind state is preferred over other meaning, for example M1 is chosen, and M1 can lead to E1*.