Thursday, March 19, 2015

In Which LUEE Says All The Things I Would Have Said, Had I Got Around To It

Over the past couple days I listened to the latest episode of Life, the Universe, and Everything Else (lueepodcast.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/episode-94-free-will/). They were discussing Free Will. As has become typical over the past dozen episodes, they said all the things I would have said and came to roughly the same conclusions I did.


That worries me a little bit. I get suspicious when I like something too much. Makes me think it’s just playing to my biases. Like when a study comes out saying that Conservatives are responsible for everything bad in the world, or Canadians are the world’s greatest lovers, that sort of thing. But in this case it seems to hold up to scrutiny.


Because I took two days to finish I have extensive notes from yesterday that I won’t be able to use… at various points in the second half they mentioned just about everything I wanted to bring up. Rehabilitative versus Punitive versus Preventive justice, for example. Minority Report. Not Criminally Responsible verdicts and the backlash against Vince Li. Phineas Gage and the evidence for the brain being wholly responsible for the mind.


Much of the discussion involved Daniel Dennett’s theories on Compatibilism, attempting to reconcile Free Will with a deterministic or probabilistic universe, as discussed in his book Freedom Evolves. I can’t really comment on that very much, as I last read Dennett many years ago, and it wasn’t this book. I guess I should change that as soon as I find some free time.


They also mentioned Sam Harris’s “Free Will”. Which I can’t really comment on, as I last read Harris many years ago, and it wasn’t this book. I guess I should change that too, as soon as I find some free time. But I agree with Gem Newman on when and how I lost my respect for Harris. Darn it, too much agreement making me suspicious again.


There is one angle I thought of that they didn’t really tackle, though. My thoughts are that although free will is an illusion, it can sometimes be a useful illusion. It can be motivating to think of yourself as responsible for your own destiny. Treating criminal acts as freely chosen when choosing punishments can help dissuade others… though not nearly to the extent that some law-and-order conservatives seem to believe.


Free Will seems to me to be one of those things which doesn’t really exist but is still worth believing in.

“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need… fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
"They’re not the same at all!"
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME…SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point—"
MY POINT EXACTLY.”—  Terry Pratchett.

I last read Pratchett many years ago, and it wasn’t this book. I guess I should change that. Like, tomorrow. If I find some free time.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I also have some Pratchett to read. :)