I suppose I follow a somewhat pragmatic system. The idea that my life has a universal given meaning is preposterous. One can assign their life meaning in order to clarify direction, but the idea that our existence has significance from outside each person's subjective perception doesn't make sense to me. As such, the consideration of free will, which is an interpretation of self based on ideas like predetermination in philosophy instead of science (imho), is another exercise in futility. There are no big sweeping philosophical truths, merely factors. It's all causality. One thing tends to cause another to do one thing, which causes another to do one thing. As I type this, there are multiple systems at work: biochemical and neuro-electrical processes in my physical brain and reasoning systems that have developed from innate processes and environmental development. The thing is: that's not predetermination. That's just the way it works. Predetermination suggests someone or something has caused these events and is measuring them. I usually relate this to the famous Schrödinger's cat experiment in explaining the paradox of decoherence. It's about the appearance, and since there is no god or great force monitoring all variables and results, there is no reason to believe in predetermination. I recall the thread about the problematic axioms presented by Plantinga. Most of his philosophical ideas, whether purposefully or accidentally, presupposed the existence of god. While it wasn't clear in the plain wording, a little digging brought it right up. Oops, I ranted again...
Free will and predetermination are subjective interpretations of a philosophical exercise in meaning of action. In the traditional sense, I don't really believe in free will or predetermination. The way I see it, as my mind works, the systems only tend to favor one thought or action or an alternate. The thing is, after studying psychology, the human mind is not as precise as figuring out where a rain drop will land or what the weather will be like tomorrow. The rules in the DSM4 are different than the rules of physics or biology in that they are not as fixed. In that way, I do, sort of, believe that free will exists.
I hope that made sense. I'm on a lot of benadryl. Best of luck on your deformable body mechanics final tomorrow.
