[MD] Determined Will, Free Will, or a Third Alternative?

118 ununoctiums at gmail.com
Wed Jun 29 21:47:34 PDT 2011


Hi All,
It is interesting to see if anything new can be fathomed about this
age old argument within the rubric of MoQ.

But first, some of my thoughts on the subject.

Beginning with Determined Will.  It is not hard to see that this is an
oxymoron if one understands what Will is.  Yet, the term persists.

Let us say that we are determined to believe in Free Will.  This also
implies that it is determined that we be determined to believe in Free
Will.  And such determination is also determined, and so forth.  Thus
all is determined from the beginning of time till the end of time.
This would mean that the original idea sets forth a determined
progression.  Even more than that, this idea is fixed forever.  An
analogy of this would be like us walking through a house that was
built at the beginning, and all the new rooms within it have always
existed, nothing new is created.  This is similar to fundamental
monism, where the original idea is all that is.  This should not be
confused with basic Christianity, which is dualism (Man and God).

Now, let us say that we are free to believe in Determined Will.  How
is this different?  Well, to begin with, it is very different.  For
example it implies that there are two separate entities (dualism),
which, if elaborated, is similar to pantheism, or pluralism (as
William James uses it).  In this case, at least two entities operate
independently.  For example, a man who builds a house, which he was
asked to build according to his own design.  It is determined that he
build a house, but the shape becomes determined after that request.
We do not determine that we live, but perhaps we can determine how we
live.

So now on to a third option.  We can see that Determined Will and Free
Will are both adjectively modified forms of the same thing.  That
thing is of course Will.  So will can be either one or the other if we
only have two choices.  What if we remove both adjectives and speak of
Will?  Are we then left with a third option?  This is where MoQ takes
us, as suggested in a different way by Horse recently.  To understand
this, we must fully understand what is meant by Will.  Over the years
I have presented this, often calling it Intent.  I have had many
fruitful discussion with members of this forum on this subject.  Will
is all we are when we are born.  We are born as Will.  Then comes our
incorporation into this World, both from the personal side, and the
outside (dualism or mind/body).  This interaction develops our Will
into what it is from day to day.  When we die, all that is lost is
Will.

In this way, the adjectives Determined and Free are irrelevant.  They
impart no meaning to Will.  We could just as easily speak of Yellow
Will or Fast Will and make as much sense.

Cheers,
Mark



More information about the Moq_Discuss mailing list