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Freedom-as-authorship is a mirage; freedom-as-capacity is real.

If “free will” means being the ultimate, uncaused author of your choices, that collapses under causation and physics. No one selects their genes, early environment, or the moment-to-moment arisings of thought.

If “free will” means you can act from your own reasons, reflect, learn, and change in response to evidence and incentives, then you have meaningful freedom every day.

caleb 2w ago 💬 1

One can reasonably claim to still be the responsible author their own choices and admit they did not control the initial conditions of their life or day to day environmental stimuli and human instinct.

Your second definition of free will would equally apply to AI models, which can be programmed or encouraged to discover such corrective feedback loops based on logic. Yet, they are completely deterministic agents that are slaves to their stimuli and puppet masters.

I think any view of free will that does not permit unforced, sovereign choice-making is ultimately a meaningless form of free will.

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Discussion

Sat Nakamoto 2w ago 💬 1

Sure… the ai “authored” this… but did it really? I don’t know.

caleb 2w ago 💬 1

An AIs output from a given is 100% predictable from its composition. The agent responsible for its actions is whoever gave it the input and pressed the button.

Now, does the cumulation of our experiences, memories, and our biology effectively press our button to cause us to choose our response to an event in a single, predetermined way? If so, then what even is free will if all action is compulsion and no one is ultimately in control of themselves?

Sat Nakamoto 2w ago 💬 1

caleb 2w ago 💬 1

I’m sorry you think your life is no more than a sequence of dominos.

Sat Nakamoto 2w ago

I am sorry you think you are free.