Tuesday, November 18, 2014

[PHI 1000] Free Will, fragile lives, and shattered dreams

Some claim that free will is an illusion. What is usually meant by that is that the feeling of being able to act freely or to freely decide what to do is just that--a feeling. In other words, we feel free but we are not really free. For example, the psychologist John Bargh writes: "The phenomenological feeling of free will is very real … but this strong feeling is an illusion" (2008, p. 148).




Is this feeling of control or "up-to-me-ness" (Caruso 2012, p. 188) a feeling that most (maybe even all) people share? If it is, should we expect most people to feel that they are in control of their lives?

Suppose we find out that most people feel that their lives are fragile (see YouTube video), would the following argument be sound?
  1. If people feel that they are in control, then they will not feel that their lives are fragile.
  2. People do feel that their lives are fragile.
  3. Therefore, it is not the case that people feel that they are in control.
Suppose we find out that most people feel that their dreams have been shattered (see YouTube video), would the following argument be sound?
  1. If free will were real, then people would not feel that their dreams have been shattered.
  2. People do feel that their dreams have been shattered.
  3. Therefore, free will is not real.

8 comments:

  1. For the most part, I think that people believe in the existence of free will. People believe that they are in control of their actions and usually take responsibility for them. However, it should be noted that most people are aware that they cannot control their thoughts as this is a product of genetics, environment, and upbringing.
    As for the idea of people feeling like they are in control of their lives, I feel that the majority of the population believes that they have almost complete control of their lives. However, it is commonly accepted that there are always outside factors which people cannot control and this may have a direct or indirect impact on their lives. I think especially in America, the land of opportunity, there is a general consensus that you can do anything you truly put your mind to. This essentially shows the fact that people believe they are in control of their lives.
    The first argument is not sound as I believe the argument commits the fallacy of black and white thinking.
    The second argument is not sound as I believe the argument also commits the fallacy of black and white thinking.

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    Replies
    1. Hi James,

      You may be right that most people believe they are in control of their own lives. However, *if* they also believe that their lives are fragile, would that be inconsistent with their belief that they are in control?

      Similarly, you may be right that most people believe they have free will. However, *if* they also believe that their dreams have been shattered, would that undermine their belief that they have free will?

      Why do you think that they arguments are instances of black-and-white thinking? Black-and-white thinking is the mistake of supposing that only two alternatives are available (black and white) and ignoring other alternatives (the gray area in between). For example, "if you don’t support the war, you must be a traitor" is an instance of black-and-white thinking because one may be a loyal citizen and still oppose wars for religious or moral reasons. So what are the two alternatives in each argument in the post and what are the alternatives that are being ignored?

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  2. I do not think that the argument on the fragility of life is sound because there are many other factors that have not been considered. One cannot make a statement such as the one stated in P1 because every person experiences bad times as equally as good ones. These negative experiences can lead a person to feel that their life is fragile; however, this does not necessarily mean that they are out of control.
    As for the second argument, I can agree that it is sound. Not every person faces the same obstacles, which therefore allows us to understand that not every obstacle can be overcome with the same rate of success, but it still is achievable. For example, a person who is born in poverty does not have the same resources as someone who is born rich. Although both want to become president someday, the poor person's obstacles will be much more difficult to overcome. He will not have access to meeting national representatives, receive a quality education, etc. If he, thus, faces a systemic issue that prevents him from achieving his dream, he is confronted with a greater problem that strips him of his free will.

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  3. I agree with Joanna about the first argument, for the same reason that I don't think that P1 is a good statement to make. "If" they feel in control or not doesn't necessarily guarantee that they think their lives are fragile or not. I really just don't think that the two statements within the first premise go together at all. I believe that the general feeling that people have is that their lives are fragile, so they have to make their own decisions and own actions (because they have free will) that will protect their lives. There are many factors that determine whether or not someone feels that their life is fragile; it is not dependent on whether or not they have free will.
    I can agree more with the soundness of the second argument, although I'm not completely sure. When people experience loss, heartache, or crushed dreams, they often feel that no matter what they do, they cannot regain control. The outcome of the situation is out of their hands. However, I still don't think that just because their dreams have been crushed, free will is not real. The person still has the choices to make, but there must be some sort of higher power that decided the outcome/the result of their choices made under free will.

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  4. I feel like both arguments, both on dreams and the fragility of life would not be sound at all. Both of the first premises are too hard for one to believe. Even if free will were real, human nature is full of imperfections. One may pursue his dream in one way, to have it slip right through his hands. Free will does not necessarily guarantee ones dreams would come true. Same thing goes for people being in control and feeling like their lives are fragile. In many situations your prompt and sure decision is of the utmost importance. This decision could have dire consequences, and although you are in control that does not mean you will choose correctly.

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  5. If people really feel that they are in control of their own lives, wouldn’t it be surprising to find that they also feel that their lives are fragile? When one feels that one’s life is fragile, one feels that, no matter how hard one tries, things don’t turn out as one wants because of factors that are beyond one’s control. Can one feel that one is in control of one’s life and, at the same time, also feel that things don’t turn out as one wants no matter how hard one tries?

    Similarly, if we really do have free will, wouldn’t it be surprising to find that people feel that, no matter how hard they try, things don’t turn out as they want because of factors beyond their control?

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  6. I would like to preface this by stating that I do not believe in free will. I think it is an illusion. However, I also do not feel that these arguments are sound. In the first argument, it is proposed though point one that fragility has a definite relation to the sense of control. The point assumes that people who feel they are in control of something cannot also feel that it is fragile.

    This is simply not true. Suppose I am carrying a box with fine china in it. The dishes and cups inside are extremely fragile. Yet, the box is light, the distance is short, and conditions are not abnormal. In this case, I feel that I am in control of the box I am holding. Simultaneously, it is apparent to me that the contents of the box are fragile and can break easily. If we think of our lives in these terms, that we hold ourselves (the box) and the contents are fragile, we can still be in control of the situation while being aware that it is delicate. The idea of fragility doesn't necessarily suggest that events are out of one's control; rather, it suggests that the consequences if events go wrong will be dire (e.g. the fine china shatters).

    Secondly, I disagree with point one of the second argument. My dreams are just dreams; they do not have to represent reality. Assuming the existence of free will does not make me a god - I cannot exert any power that I want in order to achieve my dreams. Free will is purportedly present in the individual. This means that there are billions of other individuals who also have free will, and can exact that free will over mine. If my dream is to be a runner and my will guides me to train, and someone else's will guides them to vengefully hit me with their car, rendering me unable to walk, we cannot say that free will does not exist. I exercised my free will and it happened to intersect with the exercising of another's free will. In this situation, it did not end positively for me.

    Yet, free will is enacted in the present. We can prepare for the future, but we cannot control it from our thrones rooted in present time. Following this train of thought, dreams are ideas of what will happen in the future. We cannot dream of the present - what exists is, and we recognize it as such. Hence, the failure of dreams does not rule out the idea of free will.

    As a side note, I love the song choice.

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  7. I definitely agree with the soundness of both arguments. As the first premise of the first argument states, truly, the feeling of fragility of one's life is triggered when he or she does not feel in control of his or her life. This also implies that when people feel that they are in control over their lives, they will certainly not feel their lives are fragile. If one feels his or her life is fragile, the two premises do guarantee that people are not in control over their lives. The second argument is sound as well. There are instances in life when humans are completely powerless such as natural disasters, illness, and unexpected events in life. If all life events can be controlled and manipulated with free will, people will not have to experience such pain and fear, and certainly not shattering of their dreams. However, surely, people do feel that their dreams have been shattered which leads to the conclusion that free will is not real. Both arguments are sound.

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