Free Will | Litsy

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On this, the most stressful day (and probably week) of the year, how are you doing? Everyone getting some down time and taking care of themselves?
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat Sorry I‘m a couple chapters behind! It‘s been such a rough month. I‘m going to have time to rest this weekend so I‘ll catch up then!! 2d

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I‘m not so sure about that now. We just have to conclusion, but it may have to wait a few weeks. We‘ll see what everyone says. 1d

ravenlee I‘ve been having one of the most difficult months of my life…and then the election happened. Sorry I haven‘t been present for the read. 1d

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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This one is a real thinker.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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I have to say, this one made me chuckle. It would be fun, wouldn‘t it?
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

GingerAntics Eph charging COVID! Let‘s charge the president elect! (For all the good that absolutely will NOT do 🙄sigh) 1d

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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This one really made me stop and think for a minute… or 20… I even had to look up the actual definition of psychopath.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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Here we go, kids. I‘m hoping our sparking conversations can distract me today, but I‘m thinking I‘m going to pull a teenager today and just have my headphones on all bleeding day?!
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

Sorry guys! I‘m sucking at life right now. I will post later today. I need anything to distract me from the dramatic wait to find it if I need to have my tubes tied and start putting in applications for political asylum.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

Cuilin It‘s going to be a rough few days. Hang in there. 💗 2d

CBee Sending love to you - I totally understand 😥😥 2d

GingerAntics @Cuilin @CBee I‘m trying to take it one step at a time. Step 1: no more 🤬🤬🤬ing political ads. I‘ve started singing Dave Barnes‘s Little Lies over them. 2d

GingerAntics UPDATE: all of the places I need to call about getting my tubes tied before January doesn‘t open until 9. Seriously people? I have stuff to do today and you are only the beginning. 1d

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

I felt like the point he made about reading was perfect for us.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

Sorry, guys. I had these ready to go on my phone, then I fell asleep for the rest of the weekend. I hope everyone‘s Monday is going well.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

GingerAntics Oh, the stories I have about being told how to control my thoughts. Of course, the beyond trite idea of prayer as a means to control one‘s mind. More like, allowing the person giving the advice to control one‘s mind. 🙄 1w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

What choices do you really have?
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

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kspenmoll

Free Will | Sam Harris

Morning cappuccino & a book before I go off to meet up with my sister- such a gorgeous day- not a cloud in the sky, bright blue, interrupted only by the yellows,reds, oranges, & browns of the trees. #philosophy #adventuresinphilosophy #freewill
Will be back later today to check in with #buddyreads

GingerAntics

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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This is seriously all I‘ve got.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

kspenmoll Just connecting free will with the books I was reading

Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich

kspenmoll And confusion. 3w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll it does get very complicated. 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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This was such a short chapter.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

kspenmoll This book is so small but I feel like I am flailing in the dark. My initial idea was no, animals do not have free will but then I think of all the bears roaming around -how do they choose which garbage can to get into? Smell? Past success? Some of my cats behaviors seem to be habit, but what about when they choose to show up for a snuggle- its not predictable & not about food. So are they making some choices/ free will lead decisions? 🤯🤔😺🥴 3w

kspenmoll And what about the sea,trees,plants that nurture us as we nurture them.I feel such a part of the earth,life when I am in the sea, by the sea, gardening-I have missed my connection to my garden because i have not been able to be in it since the spring of 2023 when my shoulder caused intense pain-right handed,right shoulder/bicep surgery 9/7/23.My surgeon thinks I will be able to really dig etc next spring. Does my garden feel my abandonment? 3w

kspenmoll Free will ? All sentient beings? 3w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll there isn‘t a readily available answer, is there? Cats have limited options, but they will do whatever they want within those options, even/especially if told not to. I think if anyone has free will, it‘s cats. This is my new philosophical position on free will. Only cats truly have free will. Prove me wrong! 2w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll ouch! I hope you can get back to your garden in the spring. I don‘t know if it misses you, but I wonder if it thinks it‘s just having a nap or something. 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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I have seriously missed these conversations where we grapple with these ideas! Welcome back, ladies!
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

TheBookHippie I‘ll be in tomorrow! Just home from mountain adventures. 4w

kspenmoll I will be in later this week- sorry for the delay. 3w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll I‘ve been an animal crossing addict this week. We‘re lucky I remembered to read at all. lol 2w

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie oh, I hope you had fun! 2w

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I did and now finished all my doctoring 😅😂🤣even a mammogram so I can catch up my posting!!! 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat When he talks of our bodies working for us, rather than us making those decisions. Do we decide to get sick? It reminded me of law of attraction, where people ‘cured‘ their illness 3w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I don‘t think people choose illness - consciously or unconsciously. I think that‘s about the natural systems of the body being disrupted by things from outside those systems. You are making me think about the belief in free will and that people have far more control over their health than they really do. 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat This part was very interesting to me! Do criminals really not get that ‘shouldn‘t do this‘ thought at all? Does it really not occur to people not to do something that can harm others? 3w

AlaSkaat His example with water got me thinking. It seems like at any available moment, we have only a few selected thoughts/choices entering our brain. When thinking of what to drink, we don‘t automatically think ‘pickle juice‘ right? Why? Something has to happen for us to think of it. Water and thirst has a connection in our mind. But we‘re still free to think/drink whatever but why doesn‘t it cross our mind? 3w

AlaSkaat So I‘d say we are ‘free‘ to make that choice, but are we able to? 3w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I think water and thirst are definitely hard wired into all mammals, including humans. When I‘m thirsty, though, my choices are dictated by several factors I don‘t have any control over. I have to make sure I‘m not going to throw off my electrolytes. Water by itself causes GI issues since I was on that evil wegovy. What I have access to in that moment. 2w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I feel like some criminals do that that thought and others don‘t. I think it depends on previous experiences and what was modelled for them as children. None of those things are really in their control. It does bring up the question of how/when can we hold people accountable for their actions and the choices they made within the limited options available to them. This chapter really got me thinking. 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat That‘s an interesting question. I‘d say it‘s because they were exposed to new experiences which allows them to make new thoughts/choices that in turn allows them to act differently. And yet, some people who have done this, have done so just on their own, simply by having had enough. So nothing ‘new‘ came into play. The ‘had enough‘ - is that new? Or is it that they all felt it but only one felt they could do something about it? What was different? (edited) 3w

AlaSkaat He said ‘I‘m not free to do which does not occur to me‘ which is what we‘ve already said in past posts. You can‘t do what you don‘t know exist. But how do people know they can leave a bad situation then, if everyone else in the past stayed? Even if they met someone who left and it opened up their mind to that, how did THAT person know they can do that? 3w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat right? I feel like every answer we have, leads to another question. 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat I can‘t make up my mind about my opinion about this. I believe in cause and effect. My logical mind cannot comprehend making a choice that I never was exposed to before. So I sort of believe that we are governed by physical laws and such. But not that we are totally helpless as to our choices 3w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I definitely agree with this. Don‘t even get me started on cause and effect. I had a prof that had WAY too much fun with the question “is cause and effect real” for an entire semester. 🤯🤯🤯 2w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

kspenmoll I will come back to these questions later this week- 3w

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kspenmoll

Free Will | Sam Harris

My #weeklyforecast

Row 1: Buddy Reads- Bring Me Your Midnight #sundaybuddyread ; Quiet as a Nun #nunlit ; Free Will #SamHarris #freewill #philosophy
Row 2-3: Currently reading- Death of a Pumpkin Carver #seasonalcozies; Hitler‘s People #nonfiction; Run Towards Danger #memoir; Death in August #librarybook #mystery #The Universe in Verse #poetry; Sun Storm #audible
I am a mood reader, hence all the books!!!!

TheBookHippie, jlhammar, GingerAntics, julieclair

julieclair I think you have managed to find a book for every mood! 😀 1mo

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

ravenlee Yes, but we have to remember that we don‘t all start from the same point, so the options I have are different from yours, based on my past experiences and privilege. 1mo

kspenmoll I agree with what you have just stated @ravenlee Not sure what Harris means when he ends the chapter with “You ate not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm” metaphor for what? I seem to be missing something here. 1mo

AlaSkaat @kspenmoll this part really confused me too 1mo

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AlaSkaat @ravenlee I agree! And like my comments on previous posts, it is all based on experiences. There is no manual we are born with that our brains know how to follow, it‘s just a game really of what we pick up when growing up. I guess it isn‘t really conscious then, just random 1mo

GingerAntics @kspenmoll that was confusing. I really hope he elaborates on that further. 4w

GingerAntics @ravenlee 100%! I think this is what a lot of highly privileged people forget. In some (many?) cases, they are taught the belief that everyone starts from the same place (birth), so everyone has the same choices. It‘s not their fault if other people choose differently. 4w

GingerAntics @ravenlee which is a serious over simplification of life, of course. 4w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat it does feel very random, doesn‘t it? How come many people are born into a dirt poor families, but a select few are born into rich families? Is it because the rich folks can afford birth control? Is that really all there is to it? It really makes the idea of a “loving, all knowing god” laughable. Why would this living entity choose for most people to struggle under the few who only act in their own best interest? 4w

AlaSkaat @GingerAntics do Christians and people of other religions believe in free will? Can it exist with their idea of God? You often hear them say ‘it‘s Gods plan‘. Does that mean they‘re mere puppets and so they really think they‘re not responsible for anything in their life? 3w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

ravenlee Well, saying no feels disingenuous. Sure, we all have thoughts that seem to come from nowhere, and some of them are even taboo. But would we accept a child pornographer excusing their actions because they couldn‘t help their bad thoughts? 1mo

kspenmoll I think to a certain extent we are responsible, but it seems Harris seems to be saying that our physical brain knows our thoughts/actions before our conscious thoughts- I do not think we should excuse any immoral actions because they are not able to help their bad thoughts. @ravenlee 1mo

AlaSkaat I have mixed opinions about this. I believe that experience influences our mental states. It‘s basically a program in our minds. The cause and effect. But that‘s not to say it Cannot be changed. 1mo

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AlaSkaat I think it‘s a tough question to answer. As some people really have had no good experience and can‘t even tell Right from Wrong. We aren‘t born just knowing any of this, our brain build connections and those connections make those thoughts, it‘s a difficult one 1mo

GingerAntics @ravenlee I‘ve had a similar thought. If someone is a pedophile, but chooses not to act on his/her desires and that attraction to children exists only in their minds: is that something that allowable? Is that something the person has control over? I think the action on the thought is the important part and the only place we can say a person is free to make a choice. 4w

GingerAntics @ravenlee I think this gets dangerous. I‘m attracted to men. I don‘t know why. A lot of men are way more trouble than their worth. Given the choice, I might actually choose some alternative. I have a friend who is bi. I‘ve got a coworker who is gay. We don‘t believe they have choices in the matter. So if someone is a pedophile, but chooses not to act on that, is there another choice they can make? Is conversation therapy an option for this person? (edited) 4w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat exactly! This is where I struggle with the victim of generational abuse who continues the cycle versus another that chooses to break it. How much of that is a choice? Does one have more access to therapy and/or other supports than the other? Does that make them superior to one who doesn‘t? 4w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll I agree with this. I have horrible thoughts all the time. I choose not to act on them because I know they are wrong (but sometimes it‘s fun to react to another assassination attempt on Trump‘s life with “thoughts and prayers” 🤷🏼‍♀️). The thoughts themselves are proven to be good outlets and most of us never act on the thoughts, but some people do. 4w

GingerAntics @kspenmoll we literally have laws that say if a person does not understand their criminal actions were wrong when they committed them, they either can‘t be sent to jail, they can‘t be charged, or their sentence must be different in some way. They are meant to protect mentally handicapped persons, but does not being taught an action is wrong (say theft if it‘s that or starve?) count? What is the limit to that? 4w

AlaSkaat The last comment! I was watching Law&Order SVU a while ago, the whole show. And how angry I got!! Every defence ! I couldn‘t believe that actually happens. ‘Because this happened to me years ago, I am not responsible now‘ and so much more. The law is of the opinion that we have no free will 3w

AlaSkaat And acting on our thoughts. How some choose to act on them and some not. What about alcoholic parents. One child end up an alcoholic, another drinks none. What happened in their brain? They were exposed to the same situation, why did one decide not to follow suit? 3w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

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Let the games begin!
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

ravenlee Yes, but what exactly we mean by “free will” isn‘t clear. I believe in having the ability to choose among various options before me, and how and why I make my choices is unique to me and different from any other person. There is no cosmic figure directing my choices like some mystic puppeteer. 1mo

kspenmoll Yes, but I have just accepted the idea & not questioned it. I have already sticky noted every page- much to think about, mull over. 1mo

AlaSkaat Yes and no. I guess what‘s exactly meant by free will. I believe we have a choice, but that choice is based on everything we know/experienced. We cannot make a choice that we don‘t know exist, but to me that‘s not free will. This is super confusing for me ! 1mo

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GingerAntics @kspenmoll I think that‘s how most people come to a belief in free will. It‘s just what you believe in because it‘s what we are told is true. 4w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat it is a trip! I always say that I believe a person is only free to make choices based on the available options for them. Does a kid in the inner city have a choice to not join a gang? Everyone‘s in one. If you‘re not in one, who is protecting you from the gangs? The few who choose not to join, they‘re on their own. We can talk about support groups or whatever, but then that becomes another gang. 4w

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat does a poor person really have the choice to save money? If every dollar you make has to go to survival, it‘s not a choice. You can‘t choose not to pay rent or eat or keep the lights on to save some money just in case (like not having food or the lights getting turned off or being evicted). 4w

GingerAntics @ravenlee this is the best part of philosophy! How is each person defining the term? Harris says we don‘t have free will, but what does he mean by that? Is it the same as another philosopher? Is it the same way you use the word. 4w

AlaSkaat @GingerAntics oh interesting you say that a poor person has no choice to save money!! I am of the opposite opinion on this and think they STILL have the choice to, but choose not to because of rent/food. They choose nutrition over starvation. It‘s a choice. Even if some are not fully conscious by us. Ultimately we still all choose one over the other 3w

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

Nothing kicks off a great book like a horrific murder of all but one member of a family on your birthday in 2007! I think I‘m going to need a stiff drink.
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

kspenmoll Apologies-waiting for this book! 1mo

kspenmoll Book arrived cannot believe he is writing about the Petit murders- he was my brother in laws MD, well known in CT, approximately 24 miles from where I live. I have friends in the community.Utterly devastating. I have to stop reading & collect myself. Totally unexpected. 1mo

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

Our next adventure is starting this Sunday! Who is ready?
#FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp

AlaSkaat I‘ve been in the hospital for a week. Can‘t wait to have a small distraction!! Excited to start a new discussion 1mo

TheBookHippie My book finally arrived today 😝🤪🤣😵‍💫🫣😅 OFF to read it. It‘s a tiny thing! 1mo

TheBookHippie @AlaSkaat oh dear I hope you‘re okay! 1mo

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GingerAntics @AlaSkaat oh no! I hope everyone is okay! 1mo

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I got through this week‘s reading rather quickly. I was wondering what the book actually looked like, size wise. 1mo

kspenmoll @AlaSkaat I am so sorry! I hope your recovery is an easy one. Take care of yourself! 1mo

AlaSkaat @TheBookHippie @GingerAntics @kspenmoll thank you guys! A devastating week. Sorry for being the downer here !! Sadly, I went into early labour and my baby twins passed on Saturday. Poor souls were too little to survive at just 5 months. It‘s been heartbreaking. I‘m going to turn to books for some comfort and solace for the next while, so I will be involved more in our discussions from now on!! Definitely glad for them now! 1mo

TheBookHippie @AlaSkaat I‘m so so sorry. Sending you so much love & light. I‘ve been there 3 times. It‘s not easy. Take care of you. (edited) 1mo

AlaSkaat Thank you and I‘m sorry you also had to experience that. 1mo

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GingerAntics

Free Will | Sam Harris

I did a bit of a quote turn around for this one, so that we can be done before Thanksgiving, and then we can start up again in the new year, maybe the 3rd Sunday of January 2025. That will give us plenty of time for catching up, the holidays, a little rest, and then picking up our intellectual heavy lifting. Let me know your thoughts.

TheBookHippie

GingerAntics #FreeWill #SamHarris #Philosophy #AdventuresInPhilosophy #DeadPhilosophersSociety
@TheBookHippie @ravenlee @JaclynW @RavenLovelyReads @AlaSkaat @Chrissyreadit @kspenmoll @bnp 2mo

TheBookHippie Looks good! 2mo

AlaSkaat That works for me! I‘ll try to keep on schedule this time 🤞 got the book coming Monday 2mo

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ravenlee Looks good! I‘m looking forward to rejoining the group. 2mo

GingerAntics @ravenlee welcome back my friend! 2mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat oh, we‘ve all gotten off track a time or two! You‘re in good company! 2mo

AlaSkaat I‘ve just read the I guess Introduction? to the book and I‘m already excited for this! I‘m currently making my way through The selfish Gene and it‘s interesting to connect those two, from what I‘ve read so far of how genes make us. 2mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat is there a selfish gene? It can run in families, but then a selfish parent pushes all their kids to be decent human beings in other families. 2mo

AlaSkaat @GingerAntics he doesn‘t talk so much about our behaviour or motives. Basically says how we are all ‘robots‘ for a gene thats causing us to behave in such ways that increases it‘s survival.(culture&environment do play role but he focuses on the evolution of the gene), -Mothers saving kids, not so much altruistic or saving her ‘line‘ but saving their gene that‘s inside them, so the act in evolution sense is selfish 2mo

AlaSkaat He‘s of the opinion that evolution is about survival of the individual (the gene) and not the species (the group). Which is often what‘s said. He explains a lot, it‘s really interesting, especially when combined with the free will 2mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat wow, that feels almost nihilistic to me. Then how does he explain people saving children that aren‘t their own? It feels like he‘s more selfish than evolution or genetics. By his argument, eugenics is not only inevitable but acceptable. Gross. 2mo

AlaSkaat He explains that too! I don‘t remember much now but he doesn‘t mean we‘re actual robots, haha. Just that through evolution, this gene fought to survive. In scientific sense it‘s selfish because it HAS to be selfish to survive. And saving random people in that sense PRESERVES that gene too. So the gene will kill itself if it can keep it alive through another ‘robot‘ to pass on. It‘s not just our individual genes. It‘s inside all living things 2mo

AlaSkaat I haven‘t got very far in the book yet, otherwise I‘d explain it better. I‘m not good at explaining scientific stuff haha 2mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat that‘s fair. He is going way out there from what I can tell. Is it a specific gene or just humanity in general, genetically speaking? 2mo

AlaSkaat Ok so basically he just talks of natural selection- and a gene has to have these qualities to survive- longevity, fecundity, copying fidelity. And so between altruism and selfishness, altruistic gene would not survive, it wouldn‘t go on for generations for obvious reasons. (Like long legs gene if favoured in dangerous situations, but short legs in other) 2mo

AlaSkaat So one of many attributes of a ‘good‘ gene then is selfishness. I‘m super confused wether he means actual selfishness or if a specific gene has to be selfish. I‘m super confused by what I‘m reading haha 2mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat it sounds like he‘s talking about genes that actively try to get themselves passed on. Since genes done have feelings or even morality of their own, so I don‘t think they are selfish in that sense. I‘m thinking he‘s just using a colloquial term (however emotionally charged for some of us - especially women). 1mo

GingerAntics @AlaSkaat I could be totally wrong, too, though. I‘m just going off what you‘re telling me. Maybe he‘s a total twat and he‘s saying this is why ugly people don‘t procreate. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 1mo

10 likes18 comments

ravenlee

Free Will | Sam Harris

Today‘s #bookmail - I‘m hoping to get back into #deadphilosopherssociety with this one. 🤞🏻 I have not done well with scheduled reading for the past year or so, and now I‘m especially caught up in daily Substacks about the current political nightmare…I mean situation. And that leaves less time for books, unfortunately.

28 likes

obviateit

Free Will | Sam Harris

#day10 #puppet #quotsynov20

TK-421

TheNeverendingTBR Absolutely 4y

20 likes1 comment

sebsebseb

Free Will | Sam Harris

Genre: Educational
Author: Sam Harris
Date Started: 12/19/2019
Date Completed: 12/120/2019
How did you choose this book: Found it online, it seemed really interesting.
Write a brief summary of the novel:
The book talks about how free will is just an illusion. It talks about how, sure, you can do things consciously, but everything you do consciously is the determined by the causes that were out of your control.

4 likes

taning

Free Will | Sam Harris

pick

Sam Harris is a great philosopher

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Welcome to Litsy!

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