# Does dispelling free will do any good?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 28, 2017, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493 "2017-09-28T06:27:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493/41 "2017-10-02T12:48:23Z")

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If free will doesn’t exist, then arguing about it is pointless, except of course I understand you all can’t help doing that, because free will would be necessary to do otherwise - you’re just doing what you have to.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493/42 "2017-10-02T15:09:14Z")

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> [@Machinaforce](#):
>
> I’m just getting at that telling people such a thing would essentially destroy what it means to be human. People seeing each other as “machines” doesn’t do a lot of good for their psychology.

Do you feel “destroyed”?

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**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493/43 "2017-10-02T15:19:46Z")

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> [@mbh](#):
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> Oh, I’m not advocating determinism. I’m just pointing out that if the ruling class were to embrace determinism, the results might not be good for the peasants.

But what I’m saying is the logic of what you’re advocating doesn’t work: it doesn’t make sense as a policy.  
We would have to imprison everybody.

> [@Machinaforce](#):
>
> I’m just getting at that telling people such a thing would essentially destroy what it means to be human. People seeing each other as “machines” doesn’t do a lot of good for their psychology.

But do you agree with what I was saying upthread, that really it’s the concept itself that doesn’t make sense, rather than it being something our universe “lacks”? How can we have reasoned, thoughtful actions without them being _determined_ in some sense?  
What would that even mean?

So it’s nota matter of hiding Determinism (something which many assume to be true anyway, and have various misconceptions about), it’s what we should also explain and understand too.

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**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-dispelling-free-will-do-any-good/797493/44 "2017-10-03T01:23:21Z")

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This has echoes of one argument against teaching evolution: “If you tell people that they are animals, they will behave like animals.”

It might even be true…but respect for the abstract scientific truth is more important than propping up society by means of social myths. (Plato was a jerk.)

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