There's been a lot of talk lately...
...about time flowing backwards amongst the hoi polloi. If time can flow backwards, do I have a 'Destiny' in the same sense as I have an 'Origin'.
Let me lay it out straight for you lot: you do not have a Destiny.
You see, there is a little problem for Quantum Physicists and their Time dependant equations: The universe has something called Entropy. And as we all know, Entropy may increase, but never decrease i.e there is no calculable path back i.e. the universe is constantly getting fucked up and winding down, and if you did everything just right... in the very best case... well then it would it would not get any worse.
Now, here is the good news: Since there isn't a destiny, there is free will. Congratulations.
Now, here is the bad news: Your free will is only an option to fuck up, or if you are, really, really, really good, not fuck up for a short duration and in particular circumstances. Good luck with that.
Shadow of Victory
8 years ago
2 comments:
Your logic fails. You have engaged in a false bifurcation.
Your logic is
NOT (Destiny) = (Free Will)
While I agree there is no Destiny, I do not believe that proves Free Will because it is not the obverse case as there are more options.
For instance: Maybe you can't have one particular path that is inevitable, but your fate could boil down to nothing better than random chaos that you cannot control. That's not Free Will.
It is quite possible that you are simply a biological packet reacting in ways which while not individually predictable (it may be a collection of probability functions) are biologically mandated and thus are beyond concious volition in any significant way.
Your false bifurcation leads you to false conclusions. Free Will is not proven.
*However*: Free Will is irrelevant.
The illusion of free will (much like the illusion of self-worth, the illusion of happiness, the illusion of optimism) can be a powerful positive tool.
It may not be able to allow you actual free thinking decisions, without biological underpinnings or brain structured programming, but it may allow you to feel as if you had free choice and that will enhance your happiness and perhaps even performance.
Much like the Subjective/Objective reality debate, the result is unknownable and ultimately irrelevant to living your life. The existence or non-existence of God fits in this category for many of the same reasons.
Put plainly:
It doesn't matter if I'm being unrealistic if I'm happy. It doesn't matter if I'm realistic if I'm unhappy.
It doesn't matter if I'm happy because my rational evalutation convinces me all factors align to provide rational justification for happiness versus being happy because I just elect to default to happy and train my brain to work that way for long enough to make it so.
The end result is happiness.
This has been demonstrated time and time again in psychology and has demonstrable outcomes in the real world.
Depression often boils down to people being hyper realistic. Happiness often boils down to people not realizing all the bad or potentially bad outcomes.
Some people prize realism, but ultimately I would say happiness has been show medically to be more important, insofar as it provides good health and longevity.
Free Will or the absence of same does not matter, other than whereas it might impact ones happiness to think one has Free Will or not.
By the way, why no blog post on anarchy, fire, and the secret police in downton Toronto?
One thinks this sort of thng worthy of your comment. One further thinks that, once upon a year or ten ago, wild horses on steroids could not have restrained an excoriating diatribe on this subject!
I think it is long past time you turned your critical eye and your lacerating pen upon these matters. The world your perspective.
Or have you become concerned with projecting a persona of calm and aggreeability while being forced to chew on the bitter cud of societal nihilism?
Once upon a time, you'd have had and loudly expressed some comments to the Toronto police, Mr. Miller, Mr. McGuinty, Mr. Harper, the G8, the G20, the Bilderback group, the anarchists, the lefties, and everyone in between.
It seems to me you are restraining your inner inquisitor and that can't be healthy!
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