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OrphanWilde comments on My summary of Eliezer's position on free will - Less Wrong Discussion

16 Post author: Solvent 28 February 2012 05:53AM

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Comment author: OrphanWilde 23 January 2013 06:22:46PM 2 points [-]

"Outside circumstances" including what? Your definition is too vague.

As far as I've been able to tell, the question is confused. Before you ask what it is, first you must define what free will is, in a rigorous and exclusive manner; your definition shouldn't include things you don't want it to include, nor should it exclude things you don't want to exclude. You've managed to include everything you want included, but your definition fails to exclude things you don't want included - namely, your definition includes Eliezer's definition.

Because Eliezer isn't describing how we could experience free will even where free will doesn't exist, he's offering a definition of what free will is. Once you use Eliezer's definition, the confusion goes away - the question becomes meaningless.