This is a blog created to help disseminate information to my advisees, but really all prospective, current, and maybe even former college students out there that need a little push, advise, perspective, and/or support. I am excited to be here for you.
I found the blog interesting since my family is in the Free Will Baptist denomination and similar thoughts are in the sports world. Lots of discussion around humans having the choice over being selected. It is
Free Will is a great thing because it allows people to have the freedom to do whatever they want to do but then again it can backfire because some people do take it overboard.
This is a very intriguing picture of how important free will is to the human race. It's a great thing especially when having freedom and used in a positive manner, but can also be used a very damaging thing when used harmfully.
I do believe that we all have the free will of choice. At points in our lives, we look out for ourselves, sometimes making a right or wrong decision. I think this allows us to see our mistakes become better human beings and, hopefully, choose to do the right thing more often than not.
A group I participate in from time to time recently studied free will in the context of various religions. Certain sects believe everything is preordained and, therefore, you don’t really have free will. Instead, you are here on earth to complete a mission over which the choices have already been ordained prior to your birth by the creator. This would be similar to the example of being like a puppet, simply acting by some greater being pulling the strings and that it is preordained you are only on earth to complete the mission. Basically, no matter what you do with your life it does not matter because your actions (good or bad) have no weight in your acceptance into an eternal life. You are either chosen to go to the good place or to the bad place. Others believe as human beings we have free will to make decisions but must recognize that along with those choices we are solely responsible for the results or outcomes which can be good or disastrous. If you are atheist and you believe there is no afterlife, then any choices you make are of no consequence except in this life.
Free will is important to us as humans and it is needed. But free will could also lead to bad things which is why laws and rules are in place to keep free will as pairings thing
Free will is important to humans so we feel as though we have the ability to control the outcomes of our lives. However, I have read articles that discuss the theory of the illusion of free will, and how we all (for the most part) end up where we will end up depending on our upbringing and system we were born into. I also agree that it is a balancing act between laws, regulations, and the freedom to choose in certain, but not all situations.
Free will is an interesting concept that is not as simple as it seems. Coming from the theological standpoint, from reformed theology specifically, there tends to be a split. The arminian standpoint would shout free will, but the calvinist point of view almost whispers it but in a different way. In my understanding, from my background, which is grounded in my faith we have choice and free will, but we only can do the will of whom we follow. If you are not of faith then it can be said that you do the will of the world so to speak. If you are of faith and redeemed then you are no longer the "author" of your life. Your will and decisions are under the umbrella of your faith now. This is a complicated topic that goes much deeper than can be explained in one post, but if you have faith one should really dig deep to question and seek what "free will" means if God is sovereign over our lives.
Free will is a very interesting topic and I believe it is even more interesting when it comes to sport context. The environment that we grow up in shapes the decisions we make in the future. When it comes to sports it is up to you to make the correct and sound decisions. For instance, everyone on the Houston Astros had the choice to participate in cheating or not participate in cheating. A majority of the athletes on the team decided to participate in the cheating scandal because it meant they would win. Their free will determined winning is more important than honesty. We must surround ourselves with great people because they have a direct effect on the way we make decisions and determine if something is ethically right or wrong.
I do believe people do have free will, and the freedom to chose what they want to do. However, our free will can be persuaded or manipulated if you listen to or hang around the wrong people.
The human race requires free will because we believe we have the right to do only what we want. This, I believe, will be even more evident in the current climate in which we will live. Humans are selfish by nature, and when we are told we must do something rather than having a choice, we tend to dislike it and oppose it even more. We have the ability to make the right choice and do the right thing.
First of all, wow that is a very interesting concept map on freewill. I especially like the correlation to sports gambling. The fact that a lot of people may benefit from actually giving it a cursory glance and thinking about the ramifications of the use of freewill in making decisions when your conscience may be impacted by some factors out side your control. What does the fact that maybe one of your children are dying and their only option maybe involvement in a very radical clinical trial that requires a substantial investment to hold your spot in that trial. There also is a sporting event on that same day and you know that the way the line is for that event that there is no way to lose. Are you going to be able to accurately weigh the pros and cons of such a dilemma? I know myself, I would have a hard time rationalizing what is right and what might be legal. Would you be able to use your knowledge about sports and or the odds for such a gamble? People with gambling issues have since lost the ability to use free will to make intelligent decisions. Quite an interesting dilemma.
free will as a way to respond to the challenge of moral evil, but this appeal is not without problems. In sports, there are also natural evils, such as injuries and the unfair distribution of natural talents. Theists also have traditional ways of responding to that, but again, it is not clear that these answers are fully satisfactory.
In terms of the posed sport gambling question in regard to free will I think the choice and responsibility aspects play a major role. Under responsibility are legal and moral and I think the moral aspect has everything to do with sport gambling. I truly think it depends on the person and their environment and upbringing and society. For example somebody who experienced a family members gambling addiction and watched it tear their family apart may view gambling differently than somebody who has never experienced that hardship in relation to gambling.
I like the Free Will because it leads to Determination. We have the free will to do anything in life but are you determined? After graduating with my undergrad degree, didn't want get my master but when Covid hit I was determined to get my master because I want to come out of covid gaining something I can show younger gen on always pushing forward.
Free will may be just an illusion. If everything in the past had not gone exactly as it did, our choices and circumstances would be different now. Since humans do not have any effect on the past before our time, it does not appear that free will exists as many believe it does. The chain of cause and effect is ad infinitum in both directions, it goes infinitely back and infinitely forward, and if this is true, then our choices are not choices but decisions already determined for us. Although I may believe I have the “free will” to choose choice A, instead, I chose choice B; choice A was never really an option because it was not chosen due to a long line of cause and effect. I believe it was Aristotle who said that the effect is not seen in the cause, meaning when holding two sticks, the qualities of fire are not present; however, with a small amount of work, those two sticks could create fire with enough friction. Therefore, instead of free will, we have a set of arbitrary choices because if one could step back and see all the cause and effect that has or will ever exist, it would be clear that those other choices would never be chosen.
I believe having free will can be a pro and a con. The pro, it always one to feel as though they're in control of their life and success. The con, it can affect not just oneself but others around them in many ways if abused.
Determinism is a great theory. I believe it is true all events are caused by preceding events.
ReplyDeleteI found the blog interesting since my family is in the Free Will Baptist denomination and similar thoughts are in the sports world. Lots of discussion around humans having the choice over being selected. It is
ReplyDeleteFree Will is a great thing because it allows people to have the freedom to do whatever they want to do but then again it can backfire because some people do take it overboard.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very intriguing picture of how important free will is to the human race. It's a great thing especially when having freedom and used in a positive manner, but can also be used a very damaging thing when used harmfully.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that we all have the free will of choice. At points in our lives, we look out for ourselves, sometimes making a right or wrong decision. I think this allows us to see our mistakes become better human beings and, hopefully, choose to do the right thing more often than not.
ReplyDeleteA group I participate in from time to time recently studied free will in the context of various religions. Certain sects believe everything is preordained and, therefore, you don’t really have free will. Instead, you are here on earth to complete a mission over which the choices have already been ordained prior to your birth by the creator. This would be similar to the example of being like a puppet, simply acting by some greater being pulling the strings and that it is preordained you are only on earth to complete the mission. Basically, no matter what you do with your life it does not matter because your actions (good or bad) have no weight in your acceptance into an eternal life. You are either chosen to go to the good place or to the bad place. Others believe as human beings we have free will to make decisions but must recognize that along with those choices we are solely responsible for the results or outcomes which can be good or disastrous. If you are atheist and you believe there is no afterlife, then any choices you make are of no consequence except in this life.
ReplyDeleteFree will is important to us as humans and it is needed. But free will could also lead to bad things which is why laws and rules are in place to keep free will as pairings thing
ReplyDeleteFree will is important to humans so we feel as though we have the ability to control the outcomes of our lives. However, I have read articles that discuss the theory of the illusion of free will, and how we all (for the most part) end up where we will end up depending on our upbringing and system we were born into. I also agree that it is a balancing act between laws, regulations, and the freedom to choose in certain, but not all situations.
ReplyDeleteFree will is an interesting concept that is not as simple as it seems. Coming from the theological standpoint, from reformed theology specifically, there tends to be a split. The arminian standpoint would shout free will, but the calvinist point of view almost whispers it but in a different way. In my understanding, from my background, which is grounded in my faith we have choice and free will, but we only can do the will of whom we follow. If you are not of faith then it can be said that you do the will of the world so to speak. If you are of faith and redeemed then you are no longer the "author" of your life. Your will and decisions are under the umbrella of your faith now. This is a complicated topic that goes much deeper than can be explained in one post, but if you have faith one should really dig deep to question and seek what "free will" means if God is sovereign over our lives.
ReplyDeleteFree will is a very interesting topic and I believe it is even more interesting when it comes to sport context. The environment that we grow up in shapes the decisions we make in the future. When it comes to sports it is up to you to make the correct and sound decisions. For instance, everyone on the Houston Astros had the choice to participate in cheating or not participate in cheating. A majority of the athletes on the team decided to participate in the cheating scandal because it meant they would win. Their free will determined winning is more important than honesty. We must surround ourselves with great people because they have a direct effect on the way we make decisions and determine if something is ethically right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteI do believe people do have free will, and the freedom to chose what they want to do. However, our free will can be persuaded or manipulated if you listen to or hang around the wrong people.
ReplyDeleteThe human race requires free will because we believe we have the right to do only what we want. This, I believe, will be even more evident in the current climate in which we will live. Humans are selfish by nature, and when we are told we must do something rather than having a choice, we tend to dislike it and oppose it even more. We have the ability to make the right choice and do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, wow that is a very interesting concept map on freewill. I especially like the correlation to sports gambling. The fact that a lot of people may benefit from actually giving it a cursory glance and thinking about the ramifications of the use of freewill in making decisions when your conscience may be impacted by some factors out side your control. What does the fact that maybe one of your children are dying and their only option maybe involvement in a very radical clinical trial that requires a substantial investment to hold your spot in that trial. There also is a sporting event on that same day and you know that the way the line is for that event that there is no way to lose. Are you going to be able to accurately weigh the pros and cons of such a dilemma? I know myself, I would have a hard time rationalizing what is right and what might be legal. Would you be able to use your knowledge about sports and or the odds for such a gamble? People with gambling issues have since lost the ability to use free will to make intelligent decisions. Quite an interesting dilemma.
ReplyDeletefree will as a way to respond to the challenge of moral evil, but this appeal is not without problems. In sports, there are also natural evils, such as injuries and the unfair distribution of natural talents. Theists also have traditional ways of responding to that, but again, it is not clear that these answers are fully satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the posed sport gambling question in regard to free will I think the choice and responsibility aspects play a major role. Under responsibility are legal and moral and I think the moral aspect has everything to do with sport gambling. I truly think it depends on the person and their environment and upbringing and society. For example somebody who experienced a family members gambling addiction and watched it tear their family apart may view gambling differently than somebody who has never experienced that hardship in relation to gambling.
ReplyDeleteI like the Free Will because it leads to Determination. We have the free will to do anything in life but are you determined? After graduating with my undergrad degree, didn't want get my master but when Covid hit I was determined to get my master because I want to come out of covid gaining something I can show younger gen on always pushing forward.
ReplyDeleteEvan McGowan
Free will may be just an illusion. If everything in the past had not gone exactly as it did, our choices and circumstances would be different now. Since humans do not have any effect on the past before our time, it does not appear that free will exists as many believe it does. The chain of cause and effect is ad infinitum in both directions, it goes infinitely back and infinitely forward, and if this is true, then our choices are not choices but decisions already determined for us. Although I may believe I have the “free will” to choose choice A, instead, I chose choice B; choice A was never really an option because it was not chosen due to a long line of cause and effect. I believe it was Aristotle who said that the effect is not seen in the cause, meaning when holding two sticks, the qualities of fire are not present; however, with a small amount of work, those two sticks could create fire with enough friction. Therefore, instead of free will, we have a set of arbitrary choices because if one could step back and see all the cause and effect that has or will ever exist, it would be clear that those other choices would never be chosen.
ReplyDeleteCody Magill
I believe having free will can be a pro and a con. The pro, it always one to feel as though they're in control of their life and success. The con, it can affect not just oneself but others around them in many ways if abused.
ReplyDelete