2 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: A question for Objectivists
Free will is not created by rational thought, it makes rational thought possible. The fundamental choice is to think or not to think. Rationality—the adherence to logic and reality—is objective, but the act of engaging reason is not automatic.
The fact that math and logic exist independently of personal beliefs does not mean humans are compelled to follow them. If rationality were automatic, no one would act irrationally, evade facts, or embrace contradictions. But they do—because thinking is a choice.
Where is free will in rationality? In the decision to adhere to reason or abandon it. Rationality is objective, but your mind is not forced to recognize it. Free will is the choice to see or to evade—to live by reason or to drift in passive default.
Comment by Unhappy-Land-3534 at 08/03/2025 at 16:45 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
But they do—because thinking is a choice.
Yes it is a choice but there is more to the story. We are not machines that are pre-programmed to act rationally, and some people simply chose not to. Like the neighborhood you live in, rationality is something that everybody discovers to varying degrees through exposure. Rationality is something you read about, or was taught to you, or you learned on your own by putting two and two together after having experiences.
You cannot prescribe all irrational behavior to choice. We are very much a product of generations of rational behavior. Evolutionarily we are no different than those who lived 4000 years ago. And yet we are far more rational. Do you honestly believe that this is because we as individuals are simply "choosing" to be more rational? No, it is a product of the material conditions of society. This is why I brought up intelligence and nutritional development. Factors outside of ones control that cause somebody to be more rational.
If something outside of my control is causing me to be more rational it is not my free will.
Which is why I disagree whole-heartedly on the objectivist conception of what free will actually is.