The Umbrella Paradox of Freewill
The Umbrella Paradox of Freewill In life, we can fulfill our dreams by knowing our limitations, but this is not always easy to determine. John Lennon’s famous quote, “life is what happens to you while you 're busy making other plans,” underlines the beauty of life’s startling episodes. Meaning, things don’t always go as planned. In this process the definition of freedom is shaped by our on-going battle with life; so we must understand the true definition of freedom in order to determine where freedom exists. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, freedom is the state of being at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. So in retrospect, when our wishes are imposed upon constraints, or when our choices are met with consequence we are left with the impression that absolute freedom is nothing but a far cry. But, if this umbrella doesn’t capsize our abilities to make choices, then in free will, freedom exists. Therefore, it is difficult for us to see the complexity of freedom. These contrasting positions of freedom are debated amongst philosophers, such as Satre and Spinoza, to conclude a convergence of what freedom really is, a paradox, where freedom does not exist in and of itself, save for free will.
The approach philosophers have taken in this argument is defined by the terms of determinism and indeterminism. Determinism is the metaphysical perspective, arguing, “every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs” (The Information Philospher.com). Whereas indeterminism sustains the opposite, “a theory that the will is free and that deliberate choice and actions are not determined by, or predictable from, antecedent causes” (Merriam –Webster.com).
In an abstract view, one’s conscious is in a developing relationship with space and time; space being the society we live in and time being how long we have left to co-exist with space. If
The approach philosophers have taken in this argument is defined by the terms of determinism and indeterminism. Determinism is the metaphysical perspective, arguing, “every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs” (The Information Philospher.com). Whereas indeterminism sustains the opposite, “a theory that the will is free and that deliberate choice and actions are not determined by, or predictable from, antecedent causes” (Merriam –Webster.com).
In an abstract view, one’s conscious is in a developing relationship with space and time; space being the society we live in and time being how long we have left to co-exist with space. If
Cited: Magee, Bryan. "Existentialism." The Story of Philosophy. New York: Dorling Kindersley Book, 2001. 94. 217. Print. "Indeterminism - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indeterminism>. James 's, William. "Determinism." The Information Philosopher - Dedicated to the New Information Philosophy. Information Philospher.com. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/determinism.html>. Lennon, John. "John Lennon Planning Quotes | John Lennon Quotes about Planning." Quotes and Sayings - Search Quotes. Search Quotes. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.searchquotes.com/John_Lennon/Planning/quotes/>. Vedder, Eddie. "SOCIETY LYRICS." Lyrics. Metrolinks. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.metrolyrics.com/society-lyrics-eddie-vedder.html>.