Why We Do Not Have Free Will Patheos is hosting a symposium on the question “Do we have free will?” — one the classic questions of philosophy, psychology, and the humanities in general, a question rich in religious significance and theological implications, a ridiculous question. I’ll take a shot at it. My reply is very simple, albeit perhaps deceiving in its point of emphasis. We do not have free will. The positive way to put it would be to correct the original question and posit the following as an alternative: Insofar as we are able to exercise free will, it is not our possession; we have no rights or deserts to will freely; our free will is a gift — it is given. If freedom of the will, even as a mere possibility, is given, then, it cannot, strictly speaking, be had. Even after the gift is received, the gift does not cease to be a gift, it remains a gift and demands, from its donation, to be treated as such. When gifts are treated as possessions, ingratitude is the result. ~ Sam Rocha, Patheos
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:23:28 +0000
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