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Concerning free will (see details)?
Yesterday I asked when free will begins. Though the sample was small, it did provide some interesting results. The majority response from monotheists was that free will begins sometime after birth.
See here for the results http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ajw9V...
Now, considering that detail, I have further questions
Is free will an essential characteristic of humanity?
If yes, what does this say about those that do not yet have free will?
If no, what effect does this have on the "free will defense" of theodicy?
superb- because you also answered my previous question, perhaps you would like to address the implications of your answers? It seems that if free will is an essential character of humans and it does not begin until after birth, then until free will begins, the life form does not qualify as human
mrglass- I see you echo Spurgeon in saying "Free will has sent many a man to hell, but not a one to heaven." However, this does not answer the question at hand.
J J Bear- while it isn't the issue I driving towards, I wonder why your god does not need justification for his actions. If he demands respect from us, then it is reasonable that we ask him to show he is deserving of such.
superb- you're attempting to conflate restraints imposed on free will (usually because of previously exercised free will) with the absence of free will, but I'm not convinced. I see no support for the premise
Ultimately, though, I'm asking about your answers. You indicated that free will is an essential quality of humanity and that free will does not begin until after birth. Those two answers create a category of entities who have not yet obtained free will and, by your own answers, should not be considered human. If you have some reason for feeling otherwise, you need more justification for your stance.
Yes, my question was if free will was an essential characteristic of humanity, and perhaps you missed the implication of the word essential.
It means necessary, even absolutely so.
What this means, and what you apparently fail to grasp, is that it is absolutely necessary for an entity to possess free will if it is to qualify as human.
You implied that it was essential, and had previously stated that free will did not begin until we can make our first decision. It was your answers that created this awkward category of pre- free will entities; I'm simply arguing the position.
You are more than welcome to revise your statements to make them coherent, but as it stands you are at odds with yourself.
Finally, lest you say that you meant humanity as a whole and individual humans may lack free will, I say this: If free will is not an essential quality of one human, then it is not essential of any and thus not essential of humanity.
7 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Who does not have free will?
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Free will comes straight out of the package DNA. However children have no experience or knowledge and so parents become accountable to God for the lives of their children until the person is mature enough to understand their accountability to God.
Those who do not have free will I assume you're talking about anyone who is unable to make a choice on their own. This is where a persons POTENTIAL comes in. Had that person been 'normal' what choices would they have potentially and probably made? God's ability to calculate a persons potential and probabilistic actions is perfect.
Theodicy tried to answer the problem of eliminating Evil, his idea was that to stop Evil one could not have Free Will.
This would not be in harmony with a God of Justice.
Free Will enables a person to perceive the difference between a good choice and a bad choice. If the choice does not exist a God of Justice could not exist since there would be no Justice under such a system.
- superb9006Lv 71 decade ago
All I can say is this. If free will isn't an essential part of humanity, why do people not want to go to prison?
Edit: If free will is what qualifies us as human, are you saying that all of those in prison are no longer human? Free will exists outside of humanity. animals are not under any outer control unless captured. They go where they please.
But you want to qualify humanity with free will. So let's look at that. And correct me if I'm wrong. A baby born is looked at as not human because it can't decide for itself? A person in a coma is no longer human?
Edit 2: No, your question was is free will an essential characteristic. There are many characteristics of humanity. In order to have free will, one has to be alive, right? The thing about free will is that it is given, and can be taken away, same as life. But having free will doesn't make us human, our genes do. As you asked, free will is a characteristic.
- LindyLv 61 decade ago
Free will began before we were even created. It started with heaven. Lucifer could not have gone against God if not for free will.
We as a human race were given free will before we were formed.
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- JJ BearLv 51 decade ago
I did not answer your previous question, but free will comes with the rest of the human 'package', at birth.
1- yes
2-they have it
3-makes no difference, God needs no defense for His action of giving us free will.
- mrglass08Lv 61 decade ago
Free will is a misnomer because human will is not completely free. Only God has complete free will because God is sovereign. Man has a will free to sin which means that this will is in bondage to sin and death. It is freed from this by the grace of God.
The question at hand is moot because it does not exist.
