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wedrifid comments on What I've learned from Less Wrong - Less Wrong
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Eliezer's solution is to say, to give it the strongest interpretation I can, "us being determined by physics doesn't make us not us. Therefore if we seemed to have free will before figuring out physics, we have free will with it too." This is like approaching the heap problem by saying "I know when it's a heap by looking at it, so there's no problem with saying (thing X) is a heap." Approaching the problem from "below" would be an argument like "a deterministic object like a billiard ball doesn't seem to have free will, so we don't either."
Like in the heap problem, there's a fundamental divide that wasn't addressed. Dissolving the problem should involve asking the question "what do we mean when we say "free will?"," and trying to answer as well as Yvain did about disease.
It might be helpful to give away some of my thoughts (and probably someone else's): one thing free will means is "unpredictable." But there's no problem with having unpredictable objects in the real world, and not just by quantum-mechanical randomness, which doesn't seem much like free will. You can have objects where the quickest way to predict them is to just watch them run. Humans are such objects - there's no way to predict a human with 100% certainty except to watch them. Two pieces of metal can also make such an object,so obviously there are a few other parts of the definition of free will. But I think unpredictability is what a lot of people see missing in the real world (or, more philosophically, in a deterministic universe) that causes them to reject free will, so it's a good one to share.
EDIT: Apparently the unpredictable thing may have been thought first by Daniel Dennet, though he seems to use it as a thing by itself rather than one part of a definition. Also, I edited the first paragraph slightly to better translate things into the heap problem.
Edit Two: If whoever downvoted simple stuff like this (or someone who wants to express objections in their stead) wants to reply, that would be nice of them.
No it doesn't. Fortunately. Otherwise my solution to Newcomb's problem would be "Forget the damn boxes. I'm hunting down Omega, killing him and freeing the will of every creature in the universe!"
Major depressio time:
Omega could find something to say to you that you would disregard even though you knew it was a vitally important truth. Omega could tell Ghandi things that would make him kill someone. To Omega, you are as complicated as game of billiards. If you asked Omega if you had free will, Omega would say "no," because games of billiards do not have free will. And Omega would be right, because Omega is always right.
Fortunately, Omega is unphysical.
But really, you're free to your definition of free will, so long as we're both just going by intuition. I don't want to commit the typical mind fallacy too hard, here. It's just that my intuition thinks that a creature that can be perfectly predicted and therefore manipulated by Omega doesn't feel free-willed.
I am not going by my intuition.
Because your argument from the implications for Newcomb's problem is so empirical :D
It is quite clearly deductive, not empirical.
What are your premises, and where did they come from?
The comment's parent and descriptions of Newcomb's Problem.
I don't think this line of questioning is serving you. You don't want to challenge the obvious logical implications of your 'unpredictable' partial definition. They are hard to deny but don't technically rule it out. Instead you want to question just where my own definition of 'Free Will' comes from if not my intuition. That, if followed through, would require appeals to authority, etc.
I would actually not argue too hard on the point of what the 'true' definition of Free Will is. The point that I do consider important is the assertion "If the concept Free Will requires unpredictability then it is stupid and pointless and should be discarded entirely". I already avoid the phrase myself by habit - it just confuses people.
I'm not particularly interested in serving myself, so that's alright. I would find it interesting if you followed through to where your definition of free will comes from. By "premises" I meant a more formal list, coming from tracing your logic.
I'm still finding this pretty interesting in part because it's highlighting that I was prey to the typical mind fallacy. Apparently some other people don't find it at all problematic to free will if their life is written down ahead of time, and some people do! But I still don't know what these other people (yes, you!) do find problematic, or if they just avoid that thought.
A note: I thought this was obvious, but after some thought it may be good to mention anyhow. Killing Omega will not restore free will. Unless Omega is itself responsible for the structure of the universe - which is what my definition cares about.