Sam Harris talks about this (you should read his mini-ebook on Free Will), about how it should change our views on moral responsibility. Which is not to say we shouldn't punish people.DWill wrote:Good to know that I'm really two steps away. My obstinate question at this point would be, do you think free will being an illusion is more than a technicality? Is there some major, or even minor, adjustment we should be making in how we view personal responsibility and achievement?Interbane wrote: Not just understanding it, but getting to the point where it 'clicks'.
I'm not suggesting he's the only one to read on this (you can read his exchange with Daniel Dennett for one thing), but here's an article talking about it:
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/life ... -free-will
It does seem kind of odd to be talking about persuading people about ideas or about what we should hold people responsible for, or what kind of legal system to have, while at the same time acknowledging the illusion of free will. It's hard to wrap your brain around that, if that expression even makes sense now!