The hottest Determinism Substack posts right now

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PfU VIII: Optimising for vibes

The Lifeboat • 275 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. If scientists ever fully map and predict human desires, people would lose real agency and start to feel like programmed bots because wanting something predetermined would seem meaningless.
  2. Irrational desires and messy impulses give people personality and life, and sometimes choosing something stupid or harmful protects individuality more than always acting optimally.
  3. People often rebel against total optimisation by doing chaotic or self-destructive things to prove they aren’t just code, and history shows repeated patterns of irrational behaviour despite better options.

Sam Harris Has Nothing Useful to Say About Free Will (UNLOCKED)

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 619 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Sam Harris argues that free will doesn't exist because our decisions are influenced by factors we don't fully understand or control.
  2. The debate over free will involves complex questions about determinism, moral responsibility, and cognitive capacities.
  3. Compatibilist philosophers like John Martin Fischer redefine free will in terms of being reasons-responsive, rather than just the ability to act differently given the same circumstances.

Solipsism>>Determinism

Bet On It • 196 implied HN points • 24 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Libertarian free will means you have real choices, unlike determinism which says you can only act one way based on past events.
  2. Your own thoughts and decisions feel real to you, and denying them goes against personal experiences and observations.
  3. Even though solipsism (the idea that only your mind is certain) seems crazy, it makes more sense than determinism, which asks you to ignore your direct experiences.

Harry Frankfurt (1929-2023): A Tribute (UNLOCKED)

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 219 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Harry Frankfurt's work had a significant impact on the philosophical debate on free will and moral responsibility.
  2. Frankfurt's argument challenges the Principle of Alternate Possibilities in determining moral responsibility, leading to a new understanding of free will.
  3. His work on free will and moral responsibility has sparked decades of discussion, reshaping philosophical perspectives and raising important questions about human agency.

Slavoj Zizek and the Case for Compatibilism (UNLOCKED)

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 299 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Compatibilism can feel contradictory at first, but it offers a way to reconcile deep intuitions about control and responsibility with determinism.
  2. The debate around free will and determinism involves conflicting intuitions about moral responsibility, cosmic freedom, and the control condition for responsibility.
  3. The definition of free will can shift from a day-to-day understanding to a radical, cosmic sense when framed within the context of determinism, highlighting the complexity of philosophical concepts.
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William Godwin's Libertarian Free Will

Outlandish Claims • 39 implied HN points • 29 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Our decisions are influenced by cause and effect, even if we feel like we have free will. Philosophically, 'free will' and 'cause and effect' are different ways of thinking, each important in its own domain.
  2. How we perceive free will depends on the context: assigning blame, scientific analysis, storytelling, or introspection.
  3. Science and introspection aren't in competition - they serve different purposes. Understanding free will involves acknowledging its complexity and varied applications.

Thinking Harder About Time Travel Paradoxes

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 159 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. In a deterministic universe, individuals might not have the ability to do anything they don't end up doing, even regarding time travel paradoxes.
  2. The idea of equally skilled marksmen with equally reliable weapons targeting equally defenseless individuals is explored in the context of time travel assassinations.
  3. The post delves into complex scenarios involving time travel assassinations and the intricacies of such paradoxes.

The Free Will Debate Is Dead, but It Shambles On

American Dreaming • 123 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. The debate over free will is mostly settled among thinkers, with most agreeing it doesn't exist as we traditionally think. We're influenced by many outside factors we can't control, which affects our actions and decisions.
  2. Many people feel they have free will, but this belief doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of how our minds work. Most academics lean towards compatibilism, which tries to redefine free will to fit our experiences.
  3. Understanding that free will might not exist can actually lead to a kinder society. It helps us see people's actions in context, promoting better ways of handling crime and punishment without the harshness that comes from believing everyone is fully responsible.

Curator

Castalia • 99 implied HN points • 17 Dec 22
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Mimesis is a powerful force in our lives, meaning we often look to others to decide what to want or do. While it's strong, we still have the freedom to make choices within that influence.
  2. Fukuyama's ideas about the 'end of history' suggest that liberal democracy has won but might overlook the ongoing ideological conflicts that still exist. His views can be criticized for being overly optimistic about the state of the world.
  3. Peer review in science has been criticized for not working well, as it often misses errors and limits innovative ideas. Instead of helping, it may create a closed-off system that stifles true progress.

The Biology of Behavior and The Mystery of Subjective Experience: Review of Behave

Holodoxa • 79 implied HN points • 01 Dec 22
🔬 Science Determinism
  1. Robert Sapolsky's book 'Behave' delves into the biology behind human behavior and argues for determinism, suggesting that all human actions have causes rooted in the physical world.
  2. The hard determinist perspective challenges common ideas of merit and responsibility, particularly in the context of human behavior, raising questions about the implications for societal management of issues like criminal justice.
  3. Despite the constraints on human agency imposed by biology and other factors, it is beneficial to continue treating individuals as at least partially responsible for their choices to maintain the effectiveness of existing social and psychological mechanisms.

Why the Principle of Sufficient Reason is Self-Evident and its Criticisms are Self-Defeating

Ethics Under Construction • 20 implied HN points • 01 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) states that everything has a reason for existing. It means for every fact, there's an explanation behind it.
  2. Critics of the PSR often make self-defeating arguments because they need reasons to argue against it. Thus, denying the PSR actually supports its validity.
  3. PSR is important for understanding the world and making sense of knowledge. It encourages us to seek underlying reasons rather than accept things as random.

The Shadow of Action

Orbis Tertius • 86 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Our choices are often influenced by external factors we may not realize, such as preferences or mood.
  2. The concept of free will is deeply intertwined with the mysterious nature of consciousness.
  3. The experience of free will may be more complex and ambiguous than we commonly perceive.

Van Inwagen vs. Van Inwagen on Freedom and Randomness

Logos and Liberty • 0 implied HN points • 29 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Distinguishing freedom from randomness in human acts challenges the moral responsibility of individuals.
  2. Using probability theory to analyze free choices is problematic, as probabilities cannot be assigned to unique, free choices.
  3. The concept of resetting the universe to examine free choices showcases the difference between chance occurrences and true freedom.

How can an automaton have free will?

Sigil • 0 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Determinism
  1. Free will is about the subjective experience of decision-making, not just determinism.
  2. Being able to freely choose without coercion is key to considering oneself the cause of an outcome.
  3. Making decisions involves reasoning under uncertainty and balancing possible outcomes, which is the essence of free will.