05-09-2019, 03:56 PM
(05-09-2019, 03:09 PM)Dill Wrote: Perhaps a soft determinism. Not the hard, 17th-century "mechanistic" kind.
People arrive at their beliefs as a consequence of many factors, most of which they have no control over, so there is always a deal of chance and accident in the formation of beliefs (fundamental beliefs about the nature of the universe). I don't see a "butterfly effect" setting off a rigid, linear concatenation of causes and effects determining that this person is going to be a Muslim and that one a Roman Catholic.
What I am arguing, though, is that fundamental beliefs cannot be chosen. They pretty much choose us.
I hate the Patriots. But I believe they won the Superbowl this year. I may lie and claim they did not, or fudge it with some rationalization (they cheated!). But I cannot "choose" to believe they did not win. Our minds/brains are not made like that.
Same for answers to questions like are you a Christian/atheist/Buddhist? People don't decide those issues like they decide to try rocky road instead of vanilla ice cream. You choose to put bacon bits on your salad--or not. You do not "choose" to be an atheist. You can't help it. If someone makes a really convincing (to you) argument that there is a god, you will not be able to choose not to believe.
I suffered with soft determinism until my doctor wrote me a Rx.