[MD] Free Will

[Dan Glover]

Hello everyone

On Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 6:01 PM,  <craigerb at comcast.net> wrote:
> [Harris]
>> the concept of free will is a non-  > starter, both philosophically and
> scientifically.> thoughts, moods, and desires of every sort >  >simply spring into view—and move us,
> or fail to > move us, for reasons that are, from a subjective > point of view,
> perfectly inscrutable.
>
>Craig:
> Suppose I find a wallet with ID.  I might keep it.  That in the past I returned it to its owner, does
> not show I have free will, for those were different
> circumstances. But as I deliberate, I feel guilty & decide to return the wallet.  Then I rationalize: the owner was careless, why should I do them any
> favors?
> These thoughts are not inscrutable.
> More importantly, there is no reason to suppose
> that my decision is fore-ordained before I
> go thru the actual deliberation.
> Harris has not shown why this doesn't give free
> will a foothold.

Hi Craig

You've basically ignored what Harris wrote: "thoughts, moods, and
desires of every sort simply spring into view..." Instead, you've come
up with a hypothetical scenario full of preconditioned responses, yet
you don't seem to fathom that. In so doing, you fail to grasp what
Harris is saying about how thoughts arise in the first place, and
cling (precariously) to the notion of free will. I am guessing that if
a learned man such as Harris doesn't sway your opinion, my words will
have little effect; I wonder why I am bothering...

Dan