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Free will does not exist

(PRO)
WINNER!
0 points
(CON)
0 points
JohannesJohannes (PRO)
Hello again everyone. Thanks to my opponent for their participation in this debate, I think this one should be interesting. 

I'll just get right to the case.

Because the assertion 'free will does not exist' necessitates that determinism exists, it is my goal to not only show you that free will can't exist but that determinism does. So what is determinism? Determinism, as defined by Google, is the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. This essentially means that whatever choices or decisions we make are ultimately determined by certain uncontrollable externalities in our lives, such as our upbringing, what has happened to us in the past, etc.. 

To prove this, I want to use an analogy. Picture a ball at the top of a hill. If we were to drop the ball we could figure out where at the bottom of the hill it would land because that ball functions according to the laws of physics. Thus if we could measure the mass of the ball, the gravity at the top of the hill, the height of the hill, and all of these things -- we could, in theory, measure precisely where at the bottom of the hill this ball will land. Now, let's picture this hill with a bunch of trees and rocks on it. All these trees and rocks will surely influence the way in which the ball moves down the hill and where it ultimately lands but it is nothing that we can't account for, because, once again, the ball, the hill, and everything on it function according to the laws of physics. Thus, where the ball lands at the bottom of the hill is entirely determined by external factors.

Now, my question for CON would be if every decision you have made is predicated upon externalities and what's happened to you in the past how could you ever say that you've made a unique or free decision? The definition of free will, as defined by Google, is the ability to act at one's own discretion. That being said, how could one ever claim that they've made a free decision when everything that's happened to them in their life has been determined by external factors that they can't control and are the basis for making decisions. This would be my thesis. Because you cannot control what external factors happen or influence you in your life, yet those externalities govern how we make decisions, how can it be possible that we make decisions freely or that we can make a choice independent of these factors? Let's use another example to prove this more clearly. Most people in modern society speak at least one language. Language and speaking are how, as a race, we have chosen to communicate with each other. Everyone grows up learning at least one language and it is basically an established norm at this point. Now, let's say that you didn't have a language and didn't know any words or what any of them meant. Could you even imagine constructing a thought? This is just one example of how everything in our lives is determined by certain external factors that although we can theoretically measure and predict, we can't really control.


Ok, that's all from me for now. I look forward to the next round. Vote PRO!!!

Return To Top | Posted:
2019-01-09 15:50:03
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