[MD] experience

[Case]

-----Original Message-----
From: moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org
[mailto:moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org] On Behalf Of craigerb at comcast.net
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 12:57 PM
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
Subject: Re: [MD] experience

[Case] 
> So if it is OK to say that magnets behave the way they do because they
"prefer" to do so, is that equivalent to saying that humans behave as they
do because their behavior is determined? 

[Craig]
A better equivalency would be to say that humans behave as they do because
they "prefer" to do so.
If you nudge a rock off a tabletop, it will always fall to the floor.
Saying it is always forced to fall or it always prefers to fall, records the
same data.
Typically, if you give a person a bowl of live worms, he will not eat them
(reality TV aside).  Nor will he if you punch him in the arm. But if you
increase the torture, at some point he will.  At that point you can say
either that you forced him to eat or that he preferred to eat rather than be
further tortured.  Whether that point is predetermined is another matter.

[Case]
Well if you nudge a dude off a table top he will fall to the ground as well.
Some human behavior seems to be determined in exactly the same was as a
rock's. You also imply that human behavior with regards to eating worms can
be determined by the application of sufficient force. Not a lot of free will
going on is there? But this in more about the terms we choose to use to
describe these things. The essential difference between rocks and humans in
this regard as I indicated earlier has to do the kinds and complexity of
influences that determine human behavior.