Seconded. (The nature of a \'Creator\')

by romansh , Saturday, September 11, 2010, 16:55 (5186 days ago) @ dhw

ROMANSH: "Assume I had an unconscious want or will, and let's assume that this could be satisfactorily demonstrated that it independent of my environment and of the universe. Then this particular want could not be described as "free will" because it was an unconscious want, is this your intent?"
> 
> I wish you would make your example more concrete, but as it stands, I have no idea what you are trying to prove. This may be my fault, in which case I apologize in advance, but I will give you my response and you can then correct any misunderstandings.
Just to show "consciousness" is unnecessary in the definition if not undesireable.- 
> First of all, I don't like your attempt to equate want with will. I take want to mean desire, whereas in this discussion we are using will as the part of the mind which takes conscious decisions. Your use of these terms can only confuse the issue.
Not just mine - Galen Strawson for example also equated them.
> Secondly, I don't see how any want, conscious or unconscious, can be satisfactorily demonstrated to be independent of the environment or the universe.
I agree whole heartedly - that's why I said "assume"
 
> I'd like to return to the problem I raised in my post of 7 September at 12.37, as this post seems to reinforce it. -I retract my statement - it must have been my pragmatic self and not reason that prevailed.