Theunicornhunter 2 Posted June 25, 2005 I know the term "free will" can have both secular and spiritual meanings. And people have some interesing ideas what "freedom" is. So what do you think it means and do we have it? I find that in the contemporary US culture people have amazing misconceptions of what "freedom" means. For example, it does not mean you are entitled to escape the consequences of your actions, it does not mean other people should pay for the consequences of your actions, and it does not mean other people have to agree or approve of you. As for the spiritual aspect of free will - I know there are conflicting views on this and I don't want to get into a religious debate. I will simply say that in my faith "agency" is an eternal principle and that part of the purpose of this life is to choose "right" or "wrong". It would not be a choice if we were forced or not allowed to make choices. Are we free? I believe what Viktor Frankl said in his book "Man's Search for Meaning?" ultimately we always have the choice how we will respond to any given situation. If you've never read the book it is one I'd highly recommend. He talks about how even in a concentration camp where you are deprived of nearly every freedom known to exist there is still the freedom to choose how you will act. Obviosly, people throughout history have been deprived of physical freedom (such as slavery). But as for free will: IMO, true freedom lies in not being burdened with regret over choices or decisions we've made (and people can not make you feel guilty if you honestly believe you did or are doing the right thing.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LordOfTheBorg 1 Posted June 25, 2005 Free will is being able to decide what you want to eat in the morning, what you wanna do all day, what religion you want. I don't think we have free will, because for one thing, the government regulates us pretty good, Supposedly, in this country (Canada) we have free will; freedom of speech, etc, but when it gets right down to it, we don't. We can't go out into the street and start yelling about how much we love Star Trek, because that would be a public disruption. OF course, there is also the good side of being regulated. For one, people who might try terroist activies are often shut down. Our spiritual freedom, well, thats about the only REAL freedom we have. We can choose our religion, as long as it isn't extremist or anything like that (I mean, like, the KKK or something). We can also choose our sexuality, which isn't the best freedom in the world, but w/e, people make their own decisions in that regard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
