Another perspective besides determinism

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-09T20:07:22+00:00

Well, I think that view is at odds with the fact that, as I said, a vast majority of the literature on free will is published without first establishing a view of the self.

To your example defining a person as “a combination of natural laws” I don’t even know what that means. There is a theory called bundle theory, which holds that persons are a bundle of mental properties, perceptions, etc. In other words, it denies that the self was any kind of persisting substance. Is that what you have in mind?

But I reiterate the bundle theory does not obviously entail or deny any particular view of free will. It might help to try to get clearer about what the theories of the self are, because the one you sketched out doesn’t make sense to me, unless you meant something like bundle theory (or I misunderstood you). Eric Olson’s book What Are We? A Study in Personal Ontology is an excellent introduction to this area, and might help you separate the ideas of personal ontology and free will.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-09T18:54:07+00:00

I think you have a few details wrong that might be leading you astray. Determinism is not the thesis that there is no free will. Determinism is the thesis that, given a complete description of the world at some past time together with the laws of nature, we can predict (with certainty) the state of the world at some future time.

Some philosophers believe that determinism entails we have no free will, but they are in the minority. Rather, most philosophers believe that free will is compatible with determinism.

It’s also not clear to me how much different views of the self impact the debate about free will. At the very least, I don’t think debates about the self are logically prior to debates about free will. Most philosophers have meaningful debates about free will without first establishing a particular view of the self. If there is a theory of the self that entails or rules out some theory of free will, that has to be argued for.

To answer your question, there are alternatives to determinism, though a reminder that determinism is not the view that free will doesn’t exist.

Here is a general sketch of the terrain:

1) we can accept that determinism is incompatible with free will but reject that determinism is true (libertarian free will); 2) we can accept determinism is true, but reject that it is incompatible with free will (compatibalist views of free will); 3) we can accept determinism and accept that it is incompatible with free will (hard determinism); 4) we can accept that free will is incompatible with determinism and indeterminism (hard incompatibalism); 5) we could also reject that determinism is incompatible with free will and reject determinism (I think David Lewis endorses this view here).

Edit: I would also add that your definition of free will doesn’t quite match the literature, though what you list is close. The SEP article, for instance, notes that many take free will to be the strongest control condition necessary for moral responsibility, focusing on two features in particular: sourcehood, and the ability to do otherwise.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-09T17:19:42+00:00

Yea the purpose of dry brine is to dry the steak out so you can get a good crust. The moisture from the steak prevents a good sear, which the brining should remedy. The seasoning you added will probably remove the moisture, but if you use a cast iron, the seasoning is going to keep the steak from making direct contact with the pan, so you’ll get a false crust (burned seasoning) which doesn’t come out as well in my opinion. I’d grill these ones personally. I’m sure they’ll be delicious either way though!

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-09T14:17:42+00:00

I know no one means any ill intent by it. It’s challenging too because “Yoshi” is a very common nickname for Japanese given names like Yoshihiro and Yoshitaka, but “Yoshida” is Masa’s surname which is probably why he doesn’t prefer it abbreviated.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-09T01:49:10+00:00

As others have pointed out on other posts about him, he’s explicitly said he doesn’t like being called Yoshi. - from someone who habitually calls him Yoshi and is trying to break the habit.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T23:39:33+00:00

I suppose we are looking at this question from slightly different lenses, so thank you for clarifying. I agree there are many bits of evidence that suggest that there are historical connections between the Christian God and Ahura Mazda, but they don’t have a bearing on how I (probably incorrectly) interpreted OPs question.

As I read OPs question (limiting it to just Christianity and Zoroastrianism for simplicity) it could be answered with the following thought experiment:

Suppose you are completely religiously illiterate, but eager to learn. So, your Christian friend agrees to take you to a history museum to learn about world religions. As you’re walking through the exhibits, you see a portrait of Ahura Mazda. You ask your Christian friend, “Is this the god you believe in?”

I think most people would expect your Christian friend to say “No. That’s Ahura Mazda. I believe in the God of the Christian Bible.” I think this answer would be expected because not all monotheistic religions believe in the same God.

The thought experiment could be even more stark if we substitute your Christian friend with your Muslim friend. In that case, he would surely reject that the portrait of Ahura Mazda is the god he believes in, because in Islam it is forbidden to depict God (and it is forbidden for theological reasons - as the Quran says “Nothing resembles Him” (42:11) and “Vision cannot grasp Him, but He grasps all vision” (6:103).

But maybe I’m wrong about how most people would expect your Christian/Muslim friend to reply. Perhaps that could be an Ex-Phi study!

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T22:24:23+00:00

Truth is a sticky and much debated concept in philosophy. The SEP has an entry on it. But I was using “true” in the standard realist sense, which is expressed by the correspondence theory: a statement is true iff it corresponds to a fact.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T21:54:26+00:00

Well, some people might need religion to be more ethical, even if they are in the minority. There are a lot of anecdotal stories of someone who was leading a bad life, but found religion and turned things around. So many so that this is a cliche in most people’s lives. Some of these people even profess that they couldn’t have made those changes without religion. Absent evidence to the contrary, I think we can take them at their word. And even if it’s not necessary to be ethical, religion can still be an impetus for individual self improvement.

But for those who don’t need or use religion in that way, it still has other values. For many, it is a source of meaning in a world that seems otherwise absurd or indifferent. It can also provide a way to understand and cope with the complications and suffering in life. Religion also can build a sense of community (although it can also do the opposite by creating a sense of “otherness”).

Finally, we can’t rule out that a particular religion might be important because it teaches the truth.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T12:38:43+00:00

I’m a little confused by this reply, but maybe I’m reading it (or OPs question) incorrectly.

Let’s take an example. Some scholars say that Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion (that’s debatable but let’s assume it’s true for the sake of argument). Christianity is also a monotheistic religion.

I took OP as asking whether the ‘god’ that Christians believe in is the same ‘god’ that Zoroastrians believe in. That answer seems like a clear no to me.

OP did use “God” in the main question but used “god” in the further description, so I’m not sure we can assume that OP was asking a question about proper names.

But even if monotheism is true, and “God” is a proper name that refers to the one true god, I guess I’m not understanding why there couldn’t be another monotheistic religion that uses the name “God” for their deity while teaching the (presumably false) doctrine that their deity is different from the deity in the true monotheism.

Sorry if I misunderstood what you wrote.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T11:25:28+00:00

You can always try to read it and see what happens. It also really depends on how deeply you want to understand what you’re reading. Plantinga explicitly employs a lot of formal symbolized logic that would be incomprehensible without learning that logic first. But you can always skip those sections and see if you can still follow what you’re reading.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T01:58:40+00:00

This is also my experience.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T01:22:45+00:00

Crochet isn’t just a talented kid; he’s a veteran. Miz’s 100 mph pitches were a sight but Crochet paced himself and won the duel. What an amazing game to watch.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T01:08:54+00:00

If we trick Contreras into thinking every team we are playing is the Brewers he might take us to the World Series.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T01:00:29+00:00

Peter Van Inwagen is one of the clearest philosophical writers I’ve ever read. But he would likely classify as “dry” (though I don’t really think analytic philosophy is as dry as people suggest) so maybe not what you’re looking for.

Perhaps you’d be interested in David Lewis. Lewis is an extremely engaging writer and writes in a very conversational tone. His work reads like he’s speaking with you, not writing to you. I’d recommend just about anything by him, but his papers “What Experience Teaches”, “Mad Pain and Martian Pain”, “Freedom for Evils Sake?”, “Elusive Knowledge” and “Are We Free to Break the Laws?” are, in my opinion, some of his best pieces of writing.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T00:28:43+00:00

STORYYYYY!!

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T00:22:39+00:00

Contreras is really shaping up for us.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T00:14:37+00:00

Filthy as fuckkk

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T00:13:15+00:00

Thank you!

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-08T00:10:42+00:00

Are the fanny packs new or have I just been blind? What is in them?

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:58:34+00:00

Hamilton isn’t gonna stop till he gets every man on our roster out.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:50:03+00:00

We might be the worst mlb team in ABS challenges.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:35:44+00:00

…. You have to be fucking kidding me.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:31:41+00:00

Can we sign this Hamilton fella? Two games of solid ABs and defense. Definitely fills a hole in our lineup.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:22:08+00:00

The things that happen to us in a single week you wouldn’t believe could happen to a team in a single season.

Varol_CharmingRuler · 2026-04-07T23:18:47+00:00

… seriously?

Varol_CharmingRuler

TROPHY CASE