Narz
keeping it real
Any in particular that you found useful?I have checked the first 3-4 books in your sig and I think I like them. Judging by these I would assume you are what I would call a seeker. I am myself interested in spirituality and therefore many of the books I read are written by spiritual masters or advanced seekers.
Like fish said, if we don't have free will we can't use willpower to learn that we don't & what changes we might make as a result of that knowledge (which will either come to us or not as we have no control) isn't really a decision.You pick a rather unfortunate example; it does not make your case well.
If free will does not exist or is limited in some way than that affects our everyday moral judgments dramatically. To wit, most people believe that to be held responsible for an action one must have performed it freely. Moral responsibility is the basis of much punishment. If no one does any action freely (free will does not exist), no one is morally responsible for an action and thus no one is to be held responsible for any action. Thisbasis of punishment dissolves.
And don't say 'we could not do anything about it anyway, if we weren't free'. We couldn't freely choose to do anything about it, but certainly it would affect our day to day lives. It would change our behavior, albeit deterministically.
The idea that we'll "discover" one or or another (and forgive all criminals if we find out they don't have a choice) is ridiculous. Even if it could be "proven" one way or another (which of course it can't) laypeople would not change. "Oh, that rapist had no choice nor did the saint, lets treat them both equally", get real!
Choice is an interesting phenomenon like I mentioned earlier. People are both responsible for themselves & affected by the system(s) around them.
The whole does (absolute) free will exist or do we have none at all seems like an archaic & ridiculous questions that belongs in the era when people believed in the four humors & whatnot.
Reading about studies of the brain is much more interesting. Turns out researchers can know whether you'll pick one choice or another (out of two simplistic choices) six seconds before you "know" what choice you're making. Not sure what the exact implications are but it doesn't really speak to the free will question, just shows that choice & the brain are more complicated than people may imagine.
The answer is neither. There is some room for relativity in morality but some things should always be condemned (like sadism). I find these either/or dillemas & hypotheticals unsophisticated & lacking any relavance. Perhaps you can give me some better examples & how they have affected law or psychology for instance.In general, abstract philosophical issues shed dramatic light on ethics and aesthetics. And these are the things great (perhaps, the greatest) importance in our day to day lives. Want to know if moral judgments are all relative, or mistaken?
Moral "facts" sounds silly.Better venture in to the metaphysical character of moral facts (if they have one)
So what have philosophers come up with as to the definition of virtue, the existence & location of God & the meaning of life? Any breaking news?and the epistemology by which we could come to those facts. Want to know whether a virtuous life is the best life? Better analyse virtue and best, with the same tools of metaphysics and epistemology. Want to know if God exists? Humanities place in the universe? Whether life has meaning? If so, the frameworks developed in the abstract areas of philosophy (perhaps the most abstract of which is logic) will be of vital importance.
I certainly think these issues have an effect on our lives. I am surprised you do not.
I haven't read any books on Sting Theory. There is only so much one can absorb in this lifetime. Pondering free will or the sound of one hand clapping definitely isn't tops on my bucket list.And of course, even if they didn't it seems bizarre to ignore them, with the wave of a hand. Knowing the fundamental structure of the universe, in physical terms, might have no effect on my life. I would probably never employ knowledge of Quantum Mechanics or String Theory. It is fascinating, nonetheless. Knowledge like this is one of the things which make life valuable.
A bitter philosopher you are. "If they disagree with you, troll them!". I don't recall any of the classic philosophers recommending that course.But of course, what makes a life valuable might be another philosophical problem for which you have no time.
