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For reasons that I think are a bit long for this format, the notion of having free will requires a form of special pleading, even in the individual.
First, if we aren't every bit the automaton a gorilla is, for example, then where does that spark of free will - this radical inspiration - come from? This eventually gets you to the special pleading problem.
You imply free will is due to your ability to make choices. It's here I think you *might* be missing my point - how do you know someone else couldn't predict your choices given enough information about you? What I mean is, how "free" is that choice really? Were you already going to make it? I think you were. I think if I knew enough about any of us, I could tell you exactly what we would do under a given set of circumstances.
It could be that you're just easier to please than I am in the context of our understanding of what free will is. In case that's what's up, let me explain myself here. For me it's not enough to be able to make a choice. My cat makes the choice to bite me when he's dissatisfied with how I pet him. He doesn't have to do it - he does make the choice, and is much more likely to make it if he's already cranky. - but that by itself does not lead me to the conclusion that my cat has free will.
Here's how I define free will:
If I could make a perfect copy of you, plunk you down in a parallel universe where everything is the same:
Free will would mean those two versions of you do not behave the exact same way in the exact same environment.
I believe they would.
Real programmers use butterflies
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Greetings Kind Regards Looking over the history of our species is it not clear we are becoming more peaceful except of course for the occasional fascist and communist . The brutality of our ancestors was incredible to wit i.e. e.g. we no longer rip out the intestines of convicted criminals for public display , I am thinking of the Mel Gibson movie "Braveheart" . For another judges impose the death sentence on convicted criminals less frequently . For another slavery is of course a thing of the past except again as practiced by the occasional fascist and communist . I conclude we are slowly becoming civilized - Cheerio
"I once put instant coffee into the microwave and went back in time." - Steven Wright
"Shut up and calculate" - apparently N. David Mermin possibly Richard Feynman
My sympathies to the SPAM moderator
“I want to sing, I want to cry, I want to laugh. Everything together. And jump and dance. The day has arrive — yippee!” - Desmond Tutu
“When the green flag drops the bullshit stops!”
"It is cheaper to save the world than it is to ruin it."
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We're becoming more civilized. It just means we've gotten better at domesticating ourselves.
But that domestication is fragile. It's easy for people to go feral. Look at the US today, and we're not even looking at a localized societal collapse. A good 1/3 of humans will kill the other 1/3 while 1/3 watches. It's only the act of self-domestication that prevents it.
And that goes south pretty quickly, for example when a social sickness like fascism (which is not ideology) infects democracies.
Self-domestication doesn't change our nature. It just trains us to do better, but that's not permanent.
Adding: Don't get me started on slavery, which we still practice. We just retired chattel slavery. It wasn't economically viable. In todays labor market you need to maintain flexibility, so it's more cost effective to lease your slaves - especially offshore - than it is to buy them outright.
Real programmers use butterflies
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My view (I'm religious): Sin is what's wrong with humanity. It's because of sin that humans are estranged from God and why they are like that and why all the bad things happen.
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What I'm saying about us is a secular read of an interpretation of Genesis. I'm *not* religious, but the Torah, and by extension, the old testament is profoundly useful if you know how to use it. It's ancient sociology - shows us how we work, both individually and collectively.
I wasn't raised with it, so I'll only ever get so much out of it compared to someone that studied it since childhood.
But regardless, I am pretty confident in my eschatology (if you want to call it that) which draws largely from the fall of man story in genesis, and an interpretation of what the curse in the exile from the garden is, and how we transcend it in the end. As Noah did in part with his invention of the plow, easing the curse of toil. This is precisely what "God wants" - metaphor here - (although I don't anthropomorphize God in that way, just trying to convey a concept)
I won't go deeper here, because I don't want to start a deep dive on this topic here, especially with someone who is religious (no offense) simply because I don't want to veer into religious territory.
But what I wrote is informed in part by abrahamic scripture.
Real programmers use butterflies
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You said it right and no matter how much we'll try but because of the other factors in our life we tend to come back to the same position of being selfish, short tempered and eager to get everything for ourself. There no way we can escape from this. We never know what other person is thinking of us but we want to show ourself foolish by caring extra about others.
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Wow, thanks.. That was fast!
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Hi,
This may be an unusual question. I have registered here 17 years ago with the username "agabor", but then I did not actively use the site. I re-registered later, and now I am a more active member, and I would like to get back my original username. I use this username in every programming related website, and it bothers me that I can not use it here because of my own forgetfulness. And as my original registration happened 17 years ago, I do not remember what e-mail address I used, or even if that address still exists. Could this profile be deleted?
agabor - Professional Profile[^]
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Angyalkám!
It maybe was better to post it on 'Bugs' as in this forum messages are mature fast...
But anyway it better ask the powers... @sean-ewington and @matthew-dennis and maybe @chris-maunder
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Thanks, I will do that
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I have sent you an email to help resolve this.
Thanks,
Sean Ewington
CodeProject
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… amazing god-like powers…
If you can't laugh at yourself - ask me and I will do it for you.
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I know one thing: I'm not up tomorrow!
Let's see if you can get this one, shall we?
Every morning, my attending man discards receptacle to resolve mixed feelings. (10)
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I'm ambivalent about this one
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Well, you are up tomorrow regardless
Care to explain for the others?
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Morning = Am
discards = bin
attending man = valet,
Resolve = anagram indicator
Ambivalent is to have mixed feelings.
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Close enough!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Hello Everyone,
I am Jacqueline.A new member in this community.
I hope everyone is doing great.
Regards
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Hello!
Welcome aboard.
You can change your username to something more "individual" than "Member 15510360" very easily if you want - and make yourself more recognisable as well.
Just hover the mouse over your username in the top right of the page, and select "My Settings" from the drop down.
Under the "Account" tab, is "Your Display Name" - "Jacqueline" is taken, but there are many other combinations you can try!
Press "Save my Settings" and your new name is yours.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Hello Jacqueline!
Welcome and greetings...
Everyone
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Welcome, and of course we would like to hear more from you, if you wish you can also add some details about yourself to your profile.
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Welcome.
I'm not a frequent contributor to this forum, but do so here more than anywhere else.
I've found this to be a (generally)great community of (generally)developers who share a level of intellectualism, wit, respect and humor.
The signal to noise is extremely high.
Feel free to engage and explore and even try to answer a cryptic crossword clue!
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Hello back to you. Welcome to Camp Chaos.
>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.
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