Ive always pictured determinism as a force like a current in a river that we can either swim with or swim against. Biology, social pressures, life experience, desires etc. are all deterministic forces that push us towards certain outcomes. We can choose to oppose those forces but there is a cost in terms of the energy we must expend to make that choice. Deterministic forces will create resistance when we choose something that is “upstream” of where we’re at, or aid us in getting to an outcome that is “downstream”. I believe this is why choices can feel easy or difficult to varying degrees. If we make a choice that is downstream of us in this analogy, it is “easy” in that it aligns with the direction of the deterministic pressures to which we are being subjected. It requires little to no expenditure of energy or “willpower”. In your example of choosing tuna or salmon, the deterministic forces would be the monetary cost of each, your preference for one over the other, morality (maybe you really like tuna but you hear that the tuna at that restaurant isnt dolphin safe, and you have a moral objection to it on those grounds), etc., you then make a calculation either consciously or unconsciously depending on the strength of the deterministic forces at work and then weigh the potential cost against the amount of willpower you have available or are willing to expend on that specific choice and make your decision. Im sure im not the first to think of it in these terms since “willpower” is widely understood concept but i thought id share the analogy anyway.
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Ive always pictured determinism as a force like a current in a river that we can either swim with or swim against. Biology, social pressures, life experience, desires etc. are all deterministic forces that push us towards certain outcomes. We can choose to oppose those forces but there is a cost in terms of the energy we must expend to make that choice. Deterministic forces will create resistance when we choose something that is “upstream” of where we’re at, or aid us in getting to an outcome that is “downstream”.
I believe this is why choices can feel easy or difficult to varying degrees. If we make a choice that is downstream of us in this analogy, it is “easy” in that it aligns with the direction of the deterministic pressures to which we are being subjected. It requires little to no expenditure of energy or “willpower”.
In your example of choosing tuna or salmon, the deterministic forces would be the monetary cost of each, your preference for one over the other, morality (maybe you really like tuna but you hear that the tuna at that restaurant isnt dolphin safe, and you have a moral objection to it on those grounds), etc., you then make a calculation either consciously or unconsciously depending on the strength of the deterministic forces at work and then weigh the potential cost against the amount of willpower you have available or are willing to expend on that specific choice and make your decision.
Im sure im not the first to think of it in these terms since “willpower” is widely understood concept but i thought id share the analogy anyway.
The only persuasive stuff I've found on compatibilism is in Chrysippus the Stoic sage. Happy to find another video discussing the topic.
It's been a while since I read the Stoics!
So it seems determinism requires a first cause or an infinite regression?
That's exactly right!