Theism Supports Free Will Better than Materialism Does

David Stockhoff · 12 Oct 2014, 16:17 · from 2014-October.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:17:55 -0400
Subject: (urth) Theism Supports Free Will Better than Materialism Does
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On 10/11/2014 8:51 PM, Jeff Wilson wrote:
> On Sat, October 11, 2014 12:35, David Stockhoff wrote:
>>> So in a physicalistic view, genuine free will doesn't seem to
>>> make much sense. It's hard even to describe what it would consist in.
>> Interesting, but crude. Human decisions are not always either
>> deterministic or random.
> What third options do you offer?

Well, the whole range in between seems pretty huge. Especially in 
decisions that are not binary.

>
>>> What we want
>>> miraculously but subtly changes the whole cosmos to enable us to be
>>> more fully the characters we are. Free will is the gift of the Holy
>>> Spirit."
>>>
>> Not only is this not an argument for free will---rather, it argues for
>> supernatural puppetry and goes to bizarre lengths to do so---it
>> completely ignores biology (see above). Unless we're to believe God
>> automatically adjusts that too.
> He adjusts everything; this is the sort of theism where nothing happens or
> even exists without God willing it the way nothing changes or appears on a
> TV screen without the raster drawing it.

OK, but I don't recall the laws of chemistry changing. Then again, I 
suppose I wouldn't.

Regardless of one's position on this, it's certainly relevant to Wolfe, 
especially the "instantaneous simulation" bit.

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