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Politics : Should God be replaced?

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To: TigerPaw who wrote (7870)9/7/2001 4:20:41 PM
From: Mitch Blevins  Read Replies (2) of 28931
 
I am starting to agree with your posts, which is boring. Let's get back to your statement that prompted my initial reply...

>>I do believe in randomness and therefore free will.<<
Message 16298301

My confusion about this is understanding how randomness is related to free will. Sure, if there were no randomness and everything had a cause, then we could trace every event back causally to events that preceded it. This is the traditional "fate" picture and would leave no room for free will.

But, if we add a little randomness into the mix, then we can trace every event back causally to either another caused event or to a random event.

But saying that my actions are the result of random events is no more comforting to me than saying that my actions are the result of the predetermined state of the universe. A mixture of these two positions is no more comforting than either by itself.

What is your basis for saying that free will is incompatible with determinism, yet somehow compatible with random (uncaused) events?
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