Logical Thinking
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''What is ‘WILL’? Nothing more than “the mental faculty by which a person decides or conceives himself as deciding upon and initiating his actions” When we ask the question, “Do we have free WILL?”, the answer depends very much upon what we mean by “free” in this context. If we ask, ‘Is our WILL free from compulsion?’, the answer is ‘YES’ but if we ask, ‘Is our WILL free from causation?’, the answer is ‘NO’.
“A man is free from compulsion when he is not restrained or coerced by forces or persons outside of himself. He is free when he can follow his own desires, his own WILL, regardless of how that WILL may itself have come to be what it is.” According to a belief, man is (born) free to aim at definite ends, free to choose between alternatives, free to choose good from evil and free to act in accordance with his WILL; it says, “Do whatever you will”; “there is absolutely no compulsion in the Faith”; “the Truth [has come] from your Sustainer: let, then, him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it.”; “Verily, We have shown him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)”
If human beings had not been endowed with freedom of choice, all those who dwell on earth would have been made to believe (in that which God asks them to believe). But this was not
God's way as HE clearly says, “Would you compel people to believe?, signifying that people are under no compulsion by the Almighty to believe or disbelieve and that they should not be compelled in this regard by other people. “None can attain faith except in accordance with God's law”, which is that “ God lays the loathsome evil [of disbelief] upon those who will not use their reason”. People believe or disbelieve according to God's law of universal causation. Human WILL is absolutely free from compulsion but not free from causation.
Everything, including our every act and decision has a prior cause. The important point to keep in mind is, however, that the cause is not always outside of us. The cause may also be within us. Our own character, which we ourselves have helped to form, our own past habits, resolutions and decisions may also be the cause of our present decisions and acts.
Man is free from compulsion but not free from causation. For example, it is said, “ God set a seal upon them because of their disbelief”. So there is causation here, not compulsion. The cause of the seal from God is their own disbelief. If they start believing, of which they have choice , the seal will go off.
Muslim outlook in the matter is that “Any calamity that befalls you is because of your own misdoings; (whether these are committed by an individual or collectively because of an improper social system)”. “Verily, as for those who do not believe that they are destined to meet Us, but content themselves with the life of this world and do not look beyond it, and are heedless of Our messages. Their abode is the Fire, because of the (evil) they earned. [But] those who believe, and work righteousness,- their Lord will guide them because of their faith: beneath them will flow rivers in gardens of bliss.”
It is rightly assert by the determinists that every effect has a cause but Materialistic Determinists wrongly assume that all effects including thoughts, values, volitions, decisions or acts are caused only by physical or chemical or physiological processes going on in human body. However, they forget that Psychological reasons (related to the nafs) may also be the cause of many effects.
An implicit assumption in Fatalism is that “a given event will take place regardless of what you or I may do to promote or prevent it”. This concept of Fatalism is utterly against the Quranic Teachings. The Quran says, “Allah does not change the condition of a people until they bring about a change in their inner-selves (anfus: psyche). “Allah would never change the blessings with which He has graced a people unless they change their inner-selves” . This clearly implies that people can change their conditions by changing their inner-selves (anfus or psyche) and that all causes of an effect are not always outside (or external) of them but there may be some (internal) causes within their inner-selves and hence within their control.
A distinction must be made between Activistic Determinism and Fatalistic Determinism. “Activistic Determinism, though recognises that every effect is the result of a cause, is a call to action and utmost exertion of man’s physical and mental capacities”. On the other hand Fatalistic Determinism “paralyzes the will and makes man passive and lethargic".''
“A man is free from compulsion when he is not restrained or coerced by forces or persons outside of himself. He is free when he can follow his own desires, his own WILL, regardless of how that WILL may itself have come to be what it is.” According to a belief, man is (born) free to aim at definite ends, free to choose between alternatives, free to choose good from evil and free to act in accordance with his WILL; it says, “Do whatever you will”; “there is absolutely no compulsion in the Faith”; “the Truth [has come] from your Sustainer: let, then, him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it.”; “Verily, We have shown him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)”
If human beings had not been endowed with freedom of choice, all those who dwell on earth would have been made to believe (in that which God asks them to believe). But this was not
God's way as HE clearly says, “Would you compel people to believe?, signifying that people are under no compulsion by the Almighty to believe or disbelieve and that they should not be compelled in this regard by other people. “None can attain faith except in accordance with God's law”, which is that “ God lays the loathsome evil [of disbelief] upon those who will not use their reason”. People believe or disbelieve according to God's law of universal causation. Human WILL is absolutely free from compulsion but not free from causation.
Everything, including our every act and decision has a prior cause. The important point to keep in mind is, however, that the cause is not always outside of us. The cause may also be within us. Our own character, which we ourselves have helped to form, our own past habits, resolutions and decisions may also be the cause of our present decisions and acts.
Man is free from compulsion but not free from causation. For example, it is said, “ God set a seal upon them because of their disbelief”. So there is causation here, not compulsion. The cause of the seal from God is their own disbelief. If they start believing, of which they have choice , the seal will go off.
Muslim outlook in the matter is that “Any calamity that befalls you is because of your own misdoings; (whether these are committed by an individual or collectively because of an improper social system)”. “Verily, as for those who do not believe that they are destined to meet Us, but content themselves with the life of this world and do not look beyond it, and are heedless of Our messages. Their abode is the Fire, because of the (evil) they earned. [But] those who believe, and work righteousness,- their Lord will guide them because of their faith: beneath them will flow rivers in gardens of bliss.”
It is rightly assert by the determinists that every effect has a cause but Materialistic Determinists wrongly assume that all effects including thoughts, values, volitions, decisions or acts are caused only by physical or chemical or physiological processes going on in human body. However, they forget that Psychological reasons (related to the nafs) may also be the cause of many effects.
An implicit assumption in Fatalism is that “a given event will take place regardless of what you or I may do to promote or prevent it”. This concept of Fatalism is utterly against the Quranic Teachings. The Quran says, “Allah does not change the condition of a people until they bring about a change in their inner-selves (anfus: psyche). “Allah would never change the blessings with which He has graced a people unless they change their inner-selves” . This clearly implies that people can change their conditions by changing their inner-selves (anfus or psyche) and that all causes of an effect are not always outside (or external) of them but there may be some (internal) causes within their inner-selves and hence within their control.
A distinction must be made between Activistic Determinism and Fatalistic Determinism. “Activistic Determinism, though recognises that every effect is the result of a cause, is a call to action and utmost exertion of man’s physical and mental capacities”. On the other hand Fatalistic Determinism “paralyzes the will and makes man passive and lethargic".''
Accountable
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You can apply whatever labels you feel necessary. I think we're wading too far into the esoteric weeds to hold my interest (sorry). One can argue that events conspired to determine that the tree limb should fall, obeying gravity, to land on the car roof, and thus can't be held liable for the damage. But it goes too far to say that a human would not be held liable for jumping out of the tree onto the car, or even for falling out of the tree after having climbed into it, because (s)he exercised her/his free will to get into the situation.
It's a really cool coincidence that I, a pinkish-white redhead who finds going to the beach a physically painful experience, and my beloved, a slightly dark-skinned hotty who avoids the beach because she doesn't want to get even darker, were both talked into going to the same beach on the same hot sunny day by separate sets of friends. Some would say that fate determined that we should meet, but we decided and behaved as we chose up to that moment and every moment since.
Romantic idea, though.
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