I’m curious what anyone who regularly meditates thinks about this sub’s topic. Particularly any tradition where a goal is increased mental and bodily awareness.
My assumption would be that these kinds of meditators gravitate towards hard determinism, as that has been my experience. But it’d be really interesting if anyone here meditates and believes in something like “free will” or considers themselves a libertarian
It’s been a while since I frequented this sub, but the last time I was here I remember being frustrated that very few people talked about the semantic aspect of this debate. I don’t know if things have progressed since then, so I’m here to find that out.
What are your thoughts on this line of reasoning?:
”Free will” does not exist - not because people are incapable of making decisions but because it is largely arbitrary what constitutes a ‘person’, or an agent that can exercise free will.
In other words, it’s arbitrary where a person begins and ends.
Most people do not consider bodily functions like their heartbeat or the growth of their hair to be ‘them’ - but in certain circumstances, things like vomiting, the act of breathing, or bowel movements are. Sometimes, people are excused for their actions because they have a disability of some kind. Some Buddhists and other eastern philosophies will say that control over your thoughts and emotions is an illusion entirely.
No one has a monopoly on concepts as basic as ‘me’ or ‘you’ or ‘a person’, so it’s impossible to draw a line in the sand. Therefore, it’s impossible to say what exactly does or does not have free will. At least, for as long as people debate this subject without an objective standard of a ‘person’, which no one will ever agree on.