<p>Ok, so science tells us that our brain is basically just a bunch of chemical signals and neurons working together. (someone is so going to correct me on this lol) Anyyway, this makes me wonder:</p>
<p>1) Is there even free will if it is just chemicals and structures we are born with that determine our actions? Do we even make choices or is it all automatic? And how does the soul fit into the picture?</p>
<p>2) If our actions and personalities are out of our control (even if we try to think they are), then is it really right to punish people for crimes? I mean say that a person murders twenty people. Then we call him a monster and execute him. But if it was really his brain making him do everything, then is it right to punish him like that? I mean if a person's liver is malfunctioning, you don't kill them. You try to heal them. So why don't people do the same thing about brains. </p>
<p>3) Is there such thing as a universal right and wrong or truth, or is it just a personal opinion? And how do we know what is right or wrong?</p>
<p>4) Why is it important to have free will? </p>
<p>5) This is kind of religious, but the whole Calvinism and predestination makes me wonder if everything is predetermined, is there even a point in trying?</p>
<p>I don't believe in free will, but I still believe in imprisoning people, and for that matter, applying the death penalty. I don't, as an atheist, see where people get the idea that human life, or any life, is sacred. I believe that if you stand as a threat to society, to others, then we have a normal expectation of wanting you locked up or dead. It is really only a matter of self-preservation, which is another biological function over which we have no control. If you come at me with a knife, I will do my best to kill you before you can kill me. </p>
<p>With regard to why we don't attempt to rehabilitate people when they kill or maim others, are we even close to being able to understand, much less alter, the mechanism by which a person feels compelled to kill? If there is no choice, then talk therapy isn't going to do much. I doubt that we will ever have enough time to fully understand every last detail of our brains. </p>
<p>I don't believe in a universal right or wrong, as were morality something universal, then all cultures would essentially have the same moral code, and they don't. The radically differing opinions on everything from infanticide to female circumcision indicate that there is no set morality.</p>
<p>1.) the "soul" is just a religious idea that comes from wanting to live after you die, so as to #1 the soul doesn't fit in anywhere, since it probably isnt real. </p>
<p>2.) hell yes its right to punish someone for their crimes, its for the greater good of society. killing one person to save > 1 person is pretty much alright in my book. And they do try to fix chemical imbalances in peoples brains, thats what medications and drugs are for as well as therapy</p>
<p>3.) Not really, but there is such a thing as beneficial for the society or group of people. Whatever is best for the group as a whole is what goes and doesn't go.</p>
<p>4.) Its not</p>
<p>5.) Its not predetermined, but if you feel like you dont want to understand the world around you and learn more but would rather just live your life until it ends, then yes i suppose there would not be a point in trying</p>
<p>I think we have too many Vonnegut fans on this thread. Of course free will exists! You can see it in every moment. Right now I have the self-autonomy to write, say, think, or do whatever I please. The only thing restricting me is my physical capability (obviously I can't bench press 300lbs, but that's not a limitation of free will, just my own body).</p>
<p>@tomatoking
lol its not my homework. its just things i wonder about. i guess im weird like that...</p>
<p>@ambiguity
i understand about imprisoning people because they are a threat to society, but sometimes people aren't in prison because people honestly think they'll kill again, its because they think that person deserves to be punished. but if its all out of our hands, then we can't really blame them for what they do</p>
<p>i just think sometimes, what if this isn't even real? what if i think i'm making a decision but i'm not really, im just being controlled into doing it? i mean its really scary if you think about it how helpless we are. already our genes determine so much of how we turn out and that's out of our control. i think we like to think that we can control nature and everything but really we're just deluding ourselves. like what if i think I am choosing to type out this sentence but really its been predetermined already and i'm just like some robot?</p>
<p>i mean sometimes don't you ever wonder if this is all just a dream? when you're dreaming, it seems so real, and then you wake up. what if life is just an extended dream and those are just dreams within a dream. i mean there are so many things we don't know thats out there.</p>
<ol>
<li>Depends on how you define free will, and no soul.</li>
<li>Death penalty is almost always never right. See stories pertaining to people being put on death row for crimes they didn't commit (They</a> didn't do it: Convicting the innocent : Opinion : The Buffalo News) and also rehabilitation > punishment. Punishment is what parents do to their children, not what society should be based upon. However, imprisonment and life sentences are still necessary for excessive crimes (See the United States prison system and its many flaws-->people being imprisoned for substance abuse...really?) but rehabilitation should be stressed.</li>
<li>Personal opinion.</li>
<li>The concept is appealing because it means you control your actions. So assuming it is valid, which it is likely not, then it is important.</li>
<li>Nope.</li>
</ol>