The REAL Red-Pill on Free Will!

My website: lukesmith.xyz
Classical books reprinted by me: lindypress.net
Get all my videos off KZbin: videos.lukesmith.xyz
or Odysee: odysee.com/$/invite/@Luke:7
Please donate: donate.lukesmith.xyz
BTC: bc1qd20r7phdct3t0e0z6jqs55ulectg25pngt7hyl
XMR: 89yML3AtqnTNdo3wNuoaW44D94Zx1kBZNSBc9SyNxGdaKEZwZNdVzvy9zpbzJMzysiWZEU3b5LwjQ3XwWuQsknCF8JK73yv
OR affiliate links to things l use:
www.vultr.com/?ref=8384069-6G Get a VPS and host a website or server for anything else.
www.epik.com/?affid=we2ro7sa6 Get a cheap and reliable domain name with Epik.

[@zipkitty]

I told my mom not to buy the dinosaur shaped nuggies, and she stopped. Wow I DO have a lot of say in my life.

[@speedyfox9080]

Why would you say no to the dinosaur shaped nuggies?

[@OtherDalfite]

When I was a boy my dad always kept soda in the house. I knew that if it was in the house, I would drink it. I told him to please not buy it. He stopped and what do you know, I dropped my soda habit. Haven't kept it in my house since I moved out, don't miss it a bit.

[@Anton43218]

My mom does this with sweets but she hadn't stopped when I said to not buy them. It took a while but I dont eat sweets now.

[@hodgeyhodge8414]

@@OtherDalfite based and self improvement pilled

[@fsmoura]

I told my dad he'd better keep the sodas coming, or he's gonna know the true meaning of family feud and I'm not kidding just try me and find out . . . (seems to be working so far)

[@TheMacedonianGeneral]

John Calvin been real quiet since this dropped.

[@Refresh5406]

Ftfy

[@HeadakusMaximus]

John Calvin is still upset about that golden fiddle he lost to that Georgian hick.

[@BenMordecai]

Sorry bro, Calvin already addressed this in book 3, chapter 17 of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. tl;dr is that Calvin never made these claims.

[@tbkswagg]

@@BenMordecai okay protestant

[@BenMordecai]

@@tbkswagg you can keep your larp religion.

[@AK-hf3pf]

Youth pastor Luke out here dropping some hard knowledge on the youth.

[@THEDRAWINGSTUDIO1]

Luke smith makes a video on reducing internet usage then drops three videos in the span of two days. Gotta say I still love this channel

[@metapaloozashowchannel12]

Maybe he did one video in 3 parts?

[@OtherDalfite]

He's probably had these 3 stored up and just uploaded them all in quick succession

[@GeorgeFosberry]

Don't see any contradictions

[@TheSolidSnakeOil]

Don't worry, he'll disappear for 8 months soon.

[@enjoful]

ITS AI GENERATED WAKE UP

[@sasakanjuh7660]

Btw, the joke which kinda touches on similar matter: There was a giant flood and a very religious man was almost drowning, but he had a dream/vision the night before that god will save him, so he kept waiting.. Suddenly, the guy with boat came and saw a man, and started pulling him out of the water/on the boat, but man refused to be taken, since he was waiting for the god to save him.. After guy on the boat saw man doesn't want his help, he just gave up and moved on.. After that, couple more guys tried to do the same, but all to the same end.. Finally, man drowned, and went to heaven.. When he saw god, he asked so desperately: "God, I was waiting for you to save me, why did you abandon me??", to which god looked very confused at the man and said: "What are you talking about?? I tried to rescue you like 3 times.." I'm not a native speaker, so hopefully I didn't butcher it too much and managed to get the message across :)

[@alonsoACR]

LMAO

[@abuzerdag]

"You have to do what I say cause I'll bully you if you don't" -Luke Smith

[@spergius]

bully Smith

[@ChristianTheChicken]

Wow the chemicals in my brain created a positive experience upon watching this video thus incentivizing me to do as Luke says. Science rulez!

[@wuwei473]

IFLS

[@CorrectCrusader]

WOW I LOVE SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@andrew66769]

Me when science

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

But why are those chemicals positive?

[@classicpinball9873]

@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 chemicals respond to good stimuli, no stimuli no response and you lose

[@ezra4554]

Misread that as "The REAL Red-Pill on Free Wifi!"

[@BurgerKingHarkinian]

The good version

[@alionicle]

what if phones but too much

[@quagmiretoiletgaming]

anywhere you go?

[@mskiptr]

@@quagmiretoiletgaming the meme channel is a Luke Smith enjoyer!? I should have seen it coming tbh

[@classicpinball9873]

@@quagmiretoiletgaming hold up!

[@Alex-yq2uy]

Every based anon had to go through edgy atheist teen phase

[@JohnDoe-yq9rt]

ill never believe in a god invented by israelis lol

[@tsurugi5]

>anon go back

[@JohnDoe-yq9rt]

@@tsurugi5 "based anon" lol

[@c4call]

I guess im not an anon anyway, but I went from christian to essentially pagan with natural deterministic perception. High level of personal responsibility. You're responsible not only for how you react to circumstances, but also responsible for the circumstances themselves.

[@redcrown5154]

just become christian dude@@c4call

[@user-fu6gj2th7m]

After I struggled for 20 minutes in supermarket to decide if I want a beer or I need to do the right thing and not to drink beer today, my questions about existence of free will disappeared by themselves.

[@user-fu6gj2th7m]

​@@screwstatists7324 If I was russian it would be vodka, I wouldn't be able to resist.

[@_________________404]

The Russian algorithm

[@packmandudefake]

@@_________________404 you probably meant 'ruZZian', why to spell nazis with capital letters and without their own swastikas of a new time. Edit: Andriy is an Ukrainian name, but yes consuming alchocol is a bad habit that, sadly, a lot of Ukrainians still have.

[@_________________404]

@@packmandudefake Cringe antifa

[@slavic_commonwealth]

@@packmandudefake how much twitter you read bro 💀

[@Bristecom]

Yes, the Bible is full of God giving commands to us yet so many Christians cop-out by trying to give all their responsibilities back to God. My ex-gf would always say "If it's meant to be it's meant to be - if it's not, it's not" and give little to no effort to work things out on her own, which annoyed me so much because it's like, God gave us free will and we can choose to do things or not - it's not just going to always "magically" happen on its own. And of course Calvinists are the worst as they believe we have zero free will and that God is the source of all evil in the universe.

[@FinrodFelagund5]

It's quite funny how irrationally mad people get about the "Calvinist" view of man's will, which is really nothing more than what the apostle Paul lays out in Romans 9. Even confessed Christians can't let go of the idea that the choices of men are at the center of the universe and not the will of God.

[@alonsoACR]

@@FinrodFelagund5 Ok prot

[@FinrodFelagund5]

@@alonsoACR OK, pedophile.

[@worldpeace_2644]

Who told you that Calvinists think God is evil? They believe that everything we do is sin. There is no mention of God being evil.

[@anon5075]

That's like praying for a bountiful harvest and not so much as sowing a single seed. Your field is going to be barren in harvest because God doesn't respect sluggards.

[@bakters]

"I used to think philosophy made sense, then I grew up."

[@uncreativename9936]

I think it was Marcus Aurelius who put it like you're an actor in a play, in that you do have a predetermined role, but how well you play the role is up to you. Which is kind of similar to the Hindoo view of Dharma.

[@Assault_Butter_Knife]

yea exactly I find it a bit weird how dismissive Luke was of what he said was 'cope' in trying to find consolidation between free will and determinism, because to me at least it is just as obvious that we have free will as it is that there are external factors that limit or influence it. There is more to our decision making that what we consciously are aware of and no doubt our lived experience, upbringing and maybe even genetics play a role have an effect we may not necessarily be aware of at the time

[@J-Ton]

The Hindoos also believe in quite a lot of dark pagan ideas, including the idea that the great mind of humanity can shape reality

[@tbk2502]

@@J-Ton i need luky loo to make more vedic text videos so i can talk with indiafriends in the comments

[@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக்]

@@J-TonNo we don't, and we're not pagan, Christians are pagan.

[@J-Ton]

@@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக் Yes you do and you misunderstand the very words you use (or are fine using them to mislead).

[@flarfo348]

even if free will doesn't exist, as "organic machines" we're still responsible for making choices that are better for us and those around us. people just misinterpret not having free will as "give up"

[@miladragon]

Exactly, he's assuming that determinism implies fatalism, which it doesn't. Free will is an illusion, but illusions are still useful constructs.

[@YeeLeeHaw]

That is cherry picking the issue. You can't have the cake and eat it at the same time. If you have no free will, you can therefore not make any decision; it's all determine already, you have no responsibility.

[@zverh]

@@YeeLeeHaw If it is not determined, then it is random. Free will is doomed either way.

[@YeeLeeHaw]

@@zverh If it's not determined it's not just random, as there will be an intent there. If everything was just random we would have a random world where all decisions would be random, which is obviously not making any sense.

[@zverh]

@@YeeLeeHaw My point was about the intent itself. As Schopenhauer said, *"You can do what you want, but you cannot want what you want."*

[@principleshipcoleoid8095]

Just because universe is pre determined does not mean your fate is not to do great things.

[@supersonic118boi8]

Yeah he's misrepresenting determinism not everyone has that frame of mind. It's doesn't have to be a cope. Some people can perceive it as empowering.

[@chaospacemarine8330]

"Hypocrite that you are, for you trust the chemicals in your brains to tell you that they are chemicals! Will you fight? Or will you perish like a dog?" : The Video

[@arsenal4444]

poetry

[@elpachanga]

I believe that whether free will exists or it is an illusion is totally irrelevant and the fact that everything is predetermined shouldn't affect our decision making at all. To me it is simpler to imagine that everything is predetermined but I am fully aware that I am responsible for my own decisions, it would be stupid to think that because there is only one possible outcome we should just sit and wait to die, that would just mean I was predetermined to be a fucking idiot.

[@ethanjohn7638]

"God has a plan for the universe, but the plan involves you". That was such a life affirming sentence, thanks dude.

[@Ganerrr]

physicists when their deterministic (⇒ no free will) model is foiled by better physics

[@Ignas_]

@@methane1027 So you're saying it's determined by quantum physics, not just regular physics?

[@alexandersanchez9138]

@@Ignas_ The "collapse of the wave-function" is stochastic.

[@sanjacobs6261]

@@methane1027 Even if you consider true unpredictability and quantum randomness, that doesn't mean you are the one choosing. This still doesn't prove free will.

[@linuxramblingproductions8554]

Where is free will proven?

[@Ganerrr]

@@linuxramblingproductions8554 psychophysical harmony

[@seth7838]

I read the title as "The REAL red-pill on free wifi!"

[@cron93]

I wasn't a hard determinist when I became atheist, but I was once I took psychedelics, and I still am. I don't sit around all day doing nothing because I feel the urges to do things and I would have to be an addict, loser, etc. to be stuck and frozen with no goals or future. So I never really gave up the determinism, and I feel it in my life all the time. If anything, it's helped me perceive myself as "lucky enough to have healthy motivations." It also helps me not pile up so much blame and credit on people who do bad/good things respectively. e.g. I don't think we should lock up murderers to punish them, we should lock them up so more people don't get killed.

[@godnyx117]

Another reason to lock them up is in hopes (cause as you can see, this didn't worked great) that other people will see that and be afraid to kill. Preventing more killers is as important as preventing the same person from killing.

[@cron93]

@@godnyx117 yes, deterrence is important. "You do X then you go to Y"

[@GirlyNCute]

@@godnyx117 I dont think prison is a deterrent for murder, maybe for theft it yes, but if that was the case there wouldn't ever be any murders ever again since the first people locked up, and the fact that there is a thrill about getting away with murder from some not because it causes harm to others but simply because it is illegal so it turns it into a sort of game, its something to consider also

[@godnyx117]

@@GirlyNCute It doesn't matter if people still do it or not. The most intelligent creature in the world is the most evil and sinister. Humans are murderers from our nature. Some of us just choose to control our urges and choose what we want to be. Even if murders were publicly tortured brutally and then killed as an example, there would still people that would keep killing and raping. Prisons are not useless.

[@cron93]

@Bob Duckington LOL

[@6ujkyujhrbdfgjy5]

Free will was confusing for me to understand as an atheist too. I couldn't imagine why a God would give us the ability to question his own existence. It only makes sense to me now that I've read scripture and I've started to become religious. I suppose it's the ultimate test of our faith. There will always be challenging obstacles in our lives, but as long as we keep God in our heart through our Free Will, we can achieve great things

[@andrew66769]

Denominations have different spins on this. Some just believe we don't have a free will. Others believe God gave us a free will because God wants us to love him, and programming something to love you isn't truly love. Someone has to be able to not love you but still choose to. Once you really dive into all the different denominations there's basically one for any possible interpretation one could have/want.

[@user-or4ut2qi3q]

@@AustinTexasGardening get out of here, pesky Calvinist! Jesus died for the whole world, salvation is a free gift available to all who believe. Faith is a choice, and not a work. If a man is dangling from the edge of a cliff, it is not a work to take the hand which is reaching out to save you. Calvinism is a total perversion of the gospel. Why don't you just follow Jesus, instead of following Calvin? None of your references actually back up what you say. Salvation is the gift, not faith!

[@athianathian-reborn5664]

@@AustinTexasGardening you have a choice to believe or reject the gospel by faith. to believe Christ died for sins is enough to be saved through grace by faith. if you take the Calvinist standpoint you cannot be sure YOU didn't will yourself to faith and thus it's invalid and the Bible never talks about this distinction. Acts 16:29-31 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” anytime someone asks what to do to be saved the answer is BELIEVE. it's a choice and any other interpretation than what the bible says to be saved causes confusion, doubt, and that is not of God who makes it simple so children can be saved let alone grown men.

[@your-mom-irl]

@@athianathian-reborn5664 imagine being so annoying you decide to go around telling people they are going to hell because they don't really believe through real faith only fake forced faith lmao.

[@user-or4ut2qi3q]

@@andrew66769 and yet there is only one truth, most of the things that people dispute don't affect salvation, but Calvinists skate on very thin ice. I would not call a Calvinist a brother, and I would not have fellowship with them or enter their house/let them in mine, just as the Bible teaches us. The same as Mormons or Jehovah's witnesses. "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." 2 John 1:9‭-‬11 "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." 2 Thessalonians 3:6

[@_M_4]

Your life is like a sandbox. You can move around in it and shape some things, but your sandbox has limited space and is influenced by outside conditions. Thankfully, the internet was a big equalizer and makes everybody's sandbox bigger.

[@user-kz8og5mm9o]

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

[@diegop.9461]

The fact that we 'think' that the 'correct' answer to a solvable-by-us situation is 100% on us to do 'right away' falls from cope to cognitive egotism. Obviously, this does not apply to all situations, but it is food for thought on this matter.

[@tallyhoman1996]

As a Catholic, I believe our free will is real yet relatively small, and it's not merely our own will which comes into play but the many wills including the will of demons. Our greatest freedom is manifest when we surrender our will to the divine will, God who knows us and made us desires the best for us but we have to walk the path. The end of the journey is really also the beginning, so we need to put our trust in God and not worry.

[@athianathian-reborn5664]

Catholicism rather openly teaches works along with faith. you can't have both as how you're saved or you only have works or the law which can only condemn you, you don't get rewarded for following law and only get punished for breaking it. most Christians get grace wrong and either openly make works a part like Catholics or backload it saying to truly believe you need works after and surrender you life which is mixing discipleship with salvation. the demonic have much less power over you than you would believe, there's a reason they use lies and not outright force. it's good to follow God's wisdom for the right reasons but discipleship is very costly and it's wise to count the costs, the motives and not to make this about works as that's our natural state of religion

[@RolyTheHolyPaladin]

@@athianathian-reborn5664 this is a really underrated comment.

[@mojejaje2073]

Catholicism is based 🇻🇦Reject all other false churches that teach heresy

[@athianathian-reborn5664]

@@mojejaje2073 catholicism rejects christs imputed righteousness in favor of an infused righteousness which is replacing what saves with leaven of the pharisees, mix of works and grace. catholicism puts the tradition of man completely above man to the point their claim to fame is they have the church fathers as their fathers, NOT that they have the good news of christs death, burial and resurrection and believing that saves, purgatory is the biggest slap in christ's face to say you can pay for sin and be cleansed in fire like his blood is common. matthew 3:7-9 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, *We have Abraham to our father:* for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to *raise up children unto Abraham.* and before it's brought up, no John did not say to the most sin obsessed people in all of human history the pharisees to repent of sins but to repent of unbelief and change their mind, that definition of repenting is a work which is turning from evil. jonah 3:10 10 And God *saw their works, that they turned from their evil way;* and God *repented of the evil,* that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

[@HADESCROUNS]

Make a video explaining what made you go from atheist to a believer

[@chocolateneko9912]

There is a livestream clip of him talking about that, I'll link it

[@chocolateneko9912]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2q5mqZ5gquKg5I

[@mortrix9711]

@@chocolateneko9912 good luck linking on YT

[@chocolateneko9912]

@@mortrix9711 does it not work anymore?

[@Sever3dHead]

@@chocolateneko9912 nah

[@arnae9532]

Interpreting that determinism is about believing that things happen regardless of your will is retarded, since your perceived will itself, would still be part of the cause-consequence chain. Rejecting determinism only because you feel it will lead you to act irresponsibly and passively, precisely as an inevitable consequence, is ironic. A person who actually understands determinism would still perceive that their thoughts and actions have an impact on their life. Simply as part of a complex causal chain of events, but without considering them negligible.

[@ichster3629]

At last, the final piece to the eternal motivation puzzle

[@sirzorg5728]

the fire in your soul that can drive you to anything.

[@SimGunther]

Being free from something means you're confined by something else. That's life for you.

[@thetechfromheaven]

Ok degenerate.

[@exnihilonihilfit6316]

Hater of the law of identity. I'm so sorry you have nature. boohoo

[@sfsksasbs3]

we are all controlled by something greater: memes, the dna of the soul

[@tiagomiranda316]

your pfp is sick

[@yourt00bz]

“The memes must flow” - God emperor Luko Atreidis II

[@videorelaxant2780]

Okay Jungian

[@ZyroZoro]

Free will or no free will, you still control your own life.

[@samusaran7317]

😹

[@portmanteau7885]

Luke, you should check out this book called "The Freedom Model for Addictions". It's meant for drug addicts, but it's a really interesting read, because it makes the claim that addiction as a concept isn't really coherent, because it goes against free will. Basically, a lot of modern psychology dehumanizes people by assuming that all our actions can be explained scientifically and that we aren't really in rational control of what we do. There's an important distinction between causes and reasons, and the only cause of human behavior is the will, which can decide to do certain things for certain reasons, but nothing external to the will can force it to act. Just because group behavior can be predicted and explained statistically, doesn't mean that individuals aren't free to choose their own course in life. Interesting read, a little long though (~ 450 pages)

[@Ignas_]

It's only dehumanizing if you consider it to be. But if we are for a fact just biological machines, what you feel about that is entirely irrelevant. We're human because we called ourselves human, whatever that means.

[@joemahma3017]

@@Ignas_but we are not, in fact, biological machines. Essence precedes flesh, dawg.

[@Ignas_]

@@joemahma3017 Define "essence".

[@joemahma3017]

@@Ignas_ read Heidegger, Plato, Aristotle, Lacan, literally any non- post modern / materialist philosopher.

[@Ignas_]

@@joemahma3017 You're talking about philosophy. Philosophy wouldn't exist if we weren't biomechanically capable of thinking about it. What I think is that we're highly complex, and we can learn from our environment, which accounts for the vast differences in our personalities. However, we're also predictable to an extent. That's why psychiatry and psychology exist - we all work in similar ways. Here's a philosophical exercise: Try to make a decision that is not influenced by anything. You'll find that you can't. You're influenced by your upbringing, memories, abilities, etc. Everything your brain is capable of has a source, and any decision you make is "the one and only" decision you would ever make in that situation. And not only that, if you try to make any uninfluenced decision now, it'll be because I suggested it. The only reason, perhaps, why you'd ever do it is because I have already influenced you to do it. You have no choice here. So from that follows that we don't have "free will", only an illusion of it. Which is perfectly fine for daily life - you need not fret -, but it's also why we can and do explain our actions scientifically.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

I remain a determinist. I never understood the argument: “your lack of freewill absolves you of responsibility.” It doesn’t; even if you don’t have magical control over matter, the system can still be pressured advantageously. At some point, we are lucky that there is air in the atmosphere, water in the oceans, and energy from the sun-without it we would die, and we had nothing to do with that success. Likewise, it’s good to remain grateful for your successes *without absolving yourself of responsibility.*

[@Thematic2177]

How can "the system" be "pressured" if you don't have control over matter?

[@alexandersanchez9138]

@@Thematic2177 It self-organizes to minimize energy loss. That ends up feeling like agents choosing a policy--and, at that level, the agents can exert pressure by introducing weights into a static evaluation function.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

@@zealy1369 Why? Who is the "you" you refer to? It makes sense to assign moral responsibility to the matter, even if you absolve moral responsibility for the "soul." That is, *your mind and body are not absolved of responsibility* precisely because they are physical. You can absolve the soul of moral responsibility, so long as you maintain the distinction from the mind.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

@@zealy1369 You're free to define "moral responsibility" as exactly that which is excluded by hard determinism. However, I'm trying to argue that you get something basically *exactly as good* for anything you'd want without freewill. You can recapture all of the essential properties of an intensional "moral" situation by looking at the associated extensional, ethical scenario. For this reason, I don't think the determinism/freewill debate is material or even that interesting. In particular, volcanoes don't have minds and so it doesn't make sense to give it a fine because it isn't going to change its behavior as a result. On the other hand, a person who commits a crime (ostensibly) has a mind, and so you can exert pressure to disincentivize the relevant behavior, etc. etc. As intelligent agents, part of an appropriate response to other agents' behavior is to update our own internal models of those other agents. That includes some kind of heuristic for a "morality" score. However, that's equally well described via an appropriate "ethical integrity" score. Not only am I unable to see the difference between a person with freewill and a person without, I can't even tell the difference between a person who believes in freewill and one who doesn't.

[@bennyredpilled5455]

Jay Dyer is laughing so hard right now

[@primepiplup]

My generative AI model predicted you’d make this video

[@ihavenoname.4929]

Determinism and Freewill exist simultaneously.

[@linuxramblingproductions8554]

How

[@Adam-kr7sw]

I think believing in determinism like you described does not have to be an excuse for laziness. Believing in world events being a chain reaction does not condemn you from being venturesome person. You can gaslight yourself into believing your life is pointless, OR quite the opposite.

[@Beebo]

I think that this is an interesting take on free will vs determinism. I think your justification of why free will does exist highlights an important aspect of consciousness. Let's suppose that the universe is indeed deterministic. This implies that the atoms in the universe operate in a deterministic manner and thus the neurons in your brain are also deterministic, and thus your behaviour is deterministic. I think this is the wrong way of looking at the problem. I think we should look at this problem from a top-down approach. Even though the atoms operate deterministically, that does not require the human believe in determinism because a human operates on a higher abstraction level than atoms. An example which highlights this fact is that we cannot micromanage every atom in our body. We cannot even micromanage each individual cell. We can only relay top-down commands down the hierarchy from our consciousness. Although our consciousness may fundamentally be deterministic because atoms are, it does not mean the high-level control needs to work under the assumption that itself is deterministic. I think it's counterproductive. Regardless of whether universe is or isn't deterministic, you're always worse of if you believe in it. Even if you do believe in it, you don't have any control over the mechanism which produces determinism in the universe. I think a good analogy to explain this is like a MacOS virtual machine running on a Windows PC. MacOS represents free will and Windows represents determinism. Even though the virtual machine (your brain) is running on a Windows PC base-layer (deterministic universe), it doesn't mean you have to operate on the same level. Fundamentally you still are, but your perception is that you're on Mac.

[@exnihilonihilfit6316]

Pragmatism is wrong. Pascal's wager is a bad method.

[@Red_Neck]

We don't have free will because the chemical reactions in our body are deterministic. Just like apples aren't red because the atoms that make up the apple aren't red. /s

[@stewbeef8808]

I have heard you talk before about how the human brain/mind isn't actually well-equipped to understand reality. How do you square that with confidence in finding final answers to these these kinds of "ultimate questions?" I have no idea if I have free will or not. I don't even know if I can formulate a consistent definition of that idea, despite over a decade trying. How can I know or believe I have something or can do something if I don't even understand what that thing is? I have found that, the less I worry about raking myself over the coals over having objectively correct answers to the hardest philosophical questions in the human experience, the better my life actually goes. More friends, more family, more connection with my community, better satisfaction with my work, more spiritually alive, etc. The less I worry about having free will or not, the better things are for me.

[@xdvnx3665]

Ignorance is bliss

[@oinkmagoink9129]

We live in a paradox. Every truth is simultaneously a lie, every lie a partial truth

[@mathematicalninja2756]

I would argue that our own very existence is a testament to the fact that matter is just the surface level of the ocean of what universe has to offer.

[@hyperthreaded]

It makes no sense to change your own behaviour based on whether or not free will exists. If you become a slacker in your own life because you learned (or became convinced) that free will doesn't exist, then you became a slacker in your own life because you learned (or became convinced) that free will doesn't exist, not because free will doesn't exist.

[@eucharistenjoyer]

As an ex-atheist who reverted to Catholicism I'm glad my family wasn't Calvinist. That level of determinism and messed up idea of salvation would bring me right back to atheism in no time.

[@ALBtheAlbatross]

No will of man is outside God's will. Source: the Bible "So, God controls everything. How can He blame people for sinning?" Romans 9 walks through explaining someone in your position to God's position: Rom 9.19 *You will then say to me, Why does He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will?* Rom 9.20 Yes, rather, O man, who are you answering against God? Shall the thing formed say to the One forming it, Why did You make me like this? Rom 9.21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, out of the one lump to make one vessel to honor, and one to dishonor?

[@ALBtheAlbatross]

Rom 9.15 For He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will pity whomever I will pity." Rom 9.16 So, then, it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of the One showing mercy, of God.

[@wheresthesauce3886]

I could always easily accept the idea that plants were just a "bundle of verg complex chemical reactions," but I could never make he jump to animals.

[@porky1118]

Sounds like discrimination. Why do you set the border between plants and animals? What about mushrooms? They are evolutionary closer to animals than plants.

[@wheresthesauce3886]

@@porky1118 'cause I'm a bigot

[@Jay-kk3dv]

Remember the movie, Free Willy?

[@serenditymuse]

When I encounter believers that say "It's in God's hands" I usually suggest they go re-read and meditate on the Parable of Talents".

[@MangoKitty]

personally it doesnt matter if its all predetermined or not, because if it is then all this was gonna happen anyway, and if its not i better make the best of it, so its best to act as if its not

[@Swenthorian]

I actually misread the title as "The REAL Red-Pill on Free *Wifi*", and was expecting a talk on how most free WiFi hotspots are stealing our data or something, lol.

[@ssznajder]

I still believe in a kind of determinism or whatever. To me it makes the world and human behavior make more sense than any kind of spiritual explanation. Of course I have no proof for this, but it's what I believe.

[@ezforsaken]

What number is larger? The amount of atoms in the universe or the amount of times Luke said 'like' in this video?

[@ianc8266]

Simplest way to phrase this: who cares whether your actions are predetermined when thinking as though they're not makes your life better?

[@TheGiantMidget]

Spinoza figured this problem out better than anyone i can think of. He was a hard determinist but he posited that we are all modes of gods attributes of thought and extension and that although we as modes are caused, god is not. God is infinite and therefore god is totally free. So there is a sort of free will but that free will is not on the level of the individual it's more universal. Spinoza said that a person can become more free by understanding the nature of god and in turn their own nature. By increasing our understanding we give ourselves more ways to think and through that we gain more freedom over ourselves

[@stuckmannen3876]

this is so true! i know a lot of people "trapped" in that sort of mindset (mainly evangelicals)... just waiting for the endtimes to come... while they sit in their room doing nothing with their lives... this video basically summarized very neatly what I have been thinking all this time. Thanks for sharing, God bless ☦

[@user-or4ut2qi3q]

But evangelicals are not just waiting, they go into the streets to preach to people and they hand out tracts. That is why they are called evangelical, because they evangelise. Not to mention missions and other charity work. They dedicate their lives to serving the Lord by spreading the gospel and helping people, is that doing nothing? What does doing something with your life look like to you?

[@evangelium5376]

I've found that determinist philosophy isn't very good to begin with. It fails hard on the phenomenology aspect.

[@porky1118]

It's not a good philosophy. It's not a philosophical question, but a question of truth. Either the world is deterministic, or it isn't. I never heard about "phenomenology". It sounds like stuff, that cannot be explained using the deterministic rules we know. But non-determinism wouldn't help to explain this, either.

[@HCaetano]

So much content to consoom!

[@Twtgod]

Stumbling on this channel is one of the best thing to happen to me in the KZbin Universe. Greetings from Africa

[@axe2001]

Hope you stay there

[@Twtgod]

@@axe2001 stay where?

[@user49357]

@@Twtgod Hope you stay focused

[@Twtgod]

@@user49357 Absolutely that's why I have the name.

[@Twtgod]

@@axe2001 Racist much?

[@cinemint]

I believe in hard determinism, and am a Christian. However, I do agree with what Luke says here - the fact of the matter is, free will is often misdefined. Your will is static and be, in theory, determined. However, you still act according to it. God is infinite, albeit stable. If your goal is to walk humbly with God, then you can predict and act according to his will with a great deal of security. Circumstances change, but our wills do not. Come to peace with your will and do the right thing. God gave us our wills so that we could image him. It is an inappropriate response to see this, somehow, as an excuse to throw your life away. This whole "free will vs predestination" thing is a modern debate and was not argued because these truths were universally understood in the days when early Christians spoke Hebrew and Greek fluently. Modern, European sensibilities have polluted the discussion and driven wedges between believers.

[@CrustaceousB]

If Free Will exists then random exists. If random exists even on the tiniest scale possible then there should be absolutely no way for us to concisely measure anything and predictability shouldn't exist. The very nature of random is that over time it decays all order around it. Do we live in a universe of unrelenting chaos which is completely unable to be predicted on any level? No. Just because something is only a function within our experiences doesn't mean it is not vital to everything else around it. I don't believe in free will, but I behave as though I do. Acknowledging the fact my existence as a human is defined by a lens which skews my view into my personality type does not mean that stops happening. It means I'm actually capable of seeing my bias and playing devils advocate against myself. I don't need to know the grand "why" before I begin my work, because only through my work does the "why" expose itself. So complacency is the opposite of what this all inspires in me. But I am well aware of the reddit atheists who think they're a genius for being nihilistic and smoking weed. I was an atheist most of my life and only recently broke through that at the beginning of last year. My God is not a man. Man is an appendage of God.

[@thingsiplay]

Uncertainty Principle, particles popping in and out of existence by random, probably other existing dimensions, and the universe makes up only a few percentage of matter. We don't know so much about the universe, it would be a blunder to say we know for sure if its deterministic or not.

[@_________________404]

It's more like an algorithm rather than a chemical reaction, the outcome and everything you do might be already predetermined, except that the algorithm has many different branches which either will or won't be executed depending on the actions you choose. Your actions can technically influence all things which are physically possible, you just have to choose the right actions in order for the algorithm to take you there.

[@reinoob]

It's not pre determined if it's a chain reaction, it's illogical to think that a chain reaction is immutable when you consider a scope where the variables change all the time.

[@fredseekingbibleturth]

At first i thought this was going to be about Calvinism because Calvinists do not believe in free will. As a Non Calvinistic Christian I do believe in free will.

[@Hammid]

You’re on a roll! Thank you!

[@talkingrefugees3845]

Im always curious by how orderly the trees are growing in the background. Farmed?

[@mskiptr]

I think he talked about this in one of his stream | videos. It was something about making a contract with some company that farms trees. He (| his neighbors) own that land and get money from it on a yearly basis.

[@talkingrefugees3845]

@@mskiptr interesting. I was offered same but was like $20

[@mskiptr]

@@GospodinStanoje Sorry, I have no idea

[@owen755]

The best argument against determinism I've heard is the analogy of the computer and the display. Humans input their choices with the computer (brain) and see the result on the display (vision). Something like an Artificial Intelligence doesn't have free will, it only consists of the display.

[@Ignas_]

But the brain is influenced by our senses. We experience the environment, and make choices based on those inputs, which changes the environment. It's an instantaneous feedback loop. Same way as an AI performs a calculation, then gets feedback on whether their results were right or wrong, and alters its behavior to be "better" in its environment.

[@owen755]

@@Ignas_ you missed the point. We're not an automaton.

[@alexandersanchez9138]

An AI has a simulated brain, which is operationally analogous to an organic brain. How can you prove that I am not an automaton? I claim to be one--with the illusion of (the illusion of) freewill.

[@owen755]

@@alexandersanchez9138 The difference between our current AI and us is self awareness. Yes our freewill is created by God, so you could technically call us an AI, but does that make our freewill any less real?

[@alexandersanchez9138]

@@owen755 I think you're conflating consciousness and freewill, which are basically entirely separate issues. To address your rhetorical question, I agree; I don't think who made some machine has any bearing on its properties. However, I'm not saying we don't have freewill *because* we are an AI--in fact, I think the comparison with AI is basically a non sequitur.

[@vladimirzaytsev3284]

Even if there is no free will, it should have been invented.

[@rorynolan4426]

here's some esoteric insight for those who are interested. in tarot the devil card is synonymous with addiction. demons basically demand tithes in the form of dedications of energy - thats what a demon is, a force you keep going back to to pay a debt or a temptation that always causes you to become weakened that you can't stop doing, an addiction in other terms. being indebted to the devil or doing a deal with the devil means that people LOSE THEIR FREE WILL, and keep using or doing the thing that need to do without having the force and willpower needed to be able to choose to STOP. they've handed their willpower over to a demon/the devil which otherwise would have none. notice how many homeless people and addicts all become christians? the energy of jesus christ IS the energy of free will, thats why going to christ frees you from spiritual bondage and its why everyone who's really been in a tough place has needed to call on christ in order to begin making different choices / turn their lives around, always the result of making different choices. salvation means regaining a sense of free will, which is just the ability to make choices that support your own genuine wellbeing, which is gained through christ. free will is essentially the ability to make choices that successively and progressively put you in higher states of freedom and wellbeing. genuine wellbeing and sentiments of care for the self / knowing your own holiness and purity through christ ALWAYS spills over into how you treat others. the real creator of this universe is two things above all - unconditional love and choice/free will and everything in its original state is imbued with both qualities.

[@SomeRustyNuts]

Im currently struggling with deterministc thoughts. When i discuss this with people their argument is essentially "well its not good to think like that" im looking for someone to tell me why its not true, not just that its an uncomfortable thought.

[@nightmarebananaful]

Hey man, just wanted to let you know that there's nothing wrong with that. Just get out and do what you think is best, and be ready to fix it if its demonstrated not to be the right thing. Getting caught up on "Was this my free choosing or was this apart of some cosmic design" is irrelevant since at the end of the day it is what's perceived that impacts your life. As long as you feel you are doing your best to share space with the people around you, whether or not you were determined to do so, your words and actions are what carry you forward.

[@ayyakio3964]

Occasions and numerous Occasions-aren't they all that's to be witnessed in this life? Can't you perceive the world around you and your own essence? Even if everything were deterministic in some way or another, you'd still have these memories and emotions. I'm certain you can affirm, 'I'm here, and this is my self,' acknowledging your life, your existence. At the very least, by recognizing your presence, you can alter things. Isn't that enough? In truth, the essence of 'my self' aligns with the concept that everything within us is physical and factual. Every sensation and emotion, every thread of sentiment, unfolds visibly to the individual-witnessing life through their feelings. While some acknowledge this existence, the veil of ignorance may shroud others' recognition of their actuality. Free will might be considered an illusion, yet as an individual, I cannot refute the truthfulness of these memories, these emotions, the very essence that animates this life. The ratio of knowledge was brought to me occasionally as well? If that's true i still reign over that ratio, and so are you. I bet you can say "im here" and witness "will" much further, and let the "free" aside for a moment

[@linuxramblingproductions8554]

It doesn’t matter since its not gonna change anything for you if it does it doesn’t exist. Although im also a determinist

[@networkmuscle6824]

Next video in 6 months.

[@cherubin7th]

Free will doesn't mean randomness. It could be itself deterministic. Like I would say yes to the cake. Doesn't mean my will is not free, I just like cake. But I will say no to some type of cakes that I don't like.

[@your-mom-irl]

This is like saying a motor has free will because although the gears always turn in the same way depending on how much gas you burn, it's still free will because the gears "like" turning like that or something

[@me-fp3cg]

No, hard determinism doesn't lead to fatalism, humans still have the unique capacity to discern and act upon what's right even if it's painful, but this isn't actually "free will". What is the utility of hard determinism? It emphasizes mind-body monoism and cuts through the egoism inherent to belief that humans are the only material (read: actually existing) beings with an immortal soul. But, even if hard determinism absolutely led to fatalism there'd still be the problem of it being true, as true beliefs are not easy to exorcise even if doing so would be for good practical reasons.

[@JDStone20]

People don't want respsonsiblity, responsibitity is hard.

[@Haydxn_P]

be stoic in places you cant control and active in the parts that you can

[@Parameter8030]

The Bible is perfectly clear on the topic of predestination and determinism. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved... In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. " Ephesians 1:4-6 + 11-12 Christian author Terry Wolfe has written a concise paper on this topic, where he has found many verses that highlight this idea. I quote his explanation on the importance of predestination for Christians: "It is a convenient fabrication of men in charge of large churches and religious institutions to convince their followers that humans determine God’s success. This is a recruitment tool, a motivator for church donations and activity, and a powerful trick to make us devoted not to God’s predestination, which is itself faith, but to the human leader’s strategy for how to salvage God’s endangered will from ruination... By putting aside the exaggerations of misguided and self-serving churches and giving full credit to God working all things together, we become all the more thankful for our own predestination. Our faith is secured not on a flimsy idea of our own importance in the grand scheme, but on God’s faithfulness toward us despite our own corrupt flesh. Inevitability trumps agency, and therefore the work we do for the Kingdom need not be a panicked scramble to spam the Gospel message to unwilling listeners, but the natural bearing of the Holy Spirit’s fruit within us over time, as we mature and appreciate Christ’s teachings as they are revealed in parts." The full paper can be downloaded at metagearsolid.org/wolfpox/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/on-agency-and-inevitability.pdf Thanks for reading and God bless you 🐑❤‍🔥

[@JewishSpy]

Thanks for the pep talk Coach. I'll try to be a protagonist later today

[@sentokoo9156]

Hey Luke, what made you decide on Orthodoxy instead of Gnosticism? The idea that the universe was created by an imperfect demiurge seems more likely to me when reading the Old Testament than a perfect all-loving creator, since it sure seems like we live in a world of evil and suffering.

[@mskiptr]

> it sure seems like we live in a world of evil and suffering Catholic answer to this is more or less that all of this evil and suffering in the world is here because of free will and the imperfections created from sin. God gave humans (as well as angels), freedom to act on their own. Some angels decided to act against God and become demons. Humans, after being tempted by them, started to sin and thus the perfect world going according to God's plan, was lost.

[@mojejaje2073]

@@mskiptr da moj brat. 🇻🇦🇭🇷

[@PhunkMaster-VivatChristusRex]

LOL. Gnosticism is such a dumb meme. Go back in church history if you want to read about it getting pwned time and time again. There's a reason that almost no one is a gnostic anymore.

[@gyattrizzV]

Me knowing that I dont really have free will and also acting as if I do is all part of the hard determined simulation

[@RealCyberCrime]

The nihilism in gen z is unbearable

[@bbsara0146]

I agree that everything is pre determined. and it just so happens that my pre determined route is to become rich and successful

[@mitya]

In short: praying for winning the lottery won't help if you're not buying a ticket.

[@vvert1506]

i read the title as "on free wifi" and was very confused for the first five minutes. still a good video

[@tex8939]

Damn Luke, you're uploading videos more frequently.

[@enrott8560]

Im just waiting for someone to make youtube account "redgie edpill"

[@JeromeNuggethead]

The self can be an illusion and your choices still matter. no paradox. Its the difference between intention and accident when the outcome is the same, like hitting some npc with your camry.

[@gjsb6wfg995]

You have no control over the movement of time, but you do have control of where you're moving towards.

[@ibmicroapple9142]

Man, that weather is beautiful - are you waiting for the best days in the year to record videos or is it always sunny in P̶h̶i̶l̶a̶d̶e̶l̶p̶h̶i̶a̶ Runescape mans forest?

[@user-or4ut2qi3q]

He lives in Minecraft

[@audreymcknight]

don't really agree. lack of free will could justify mediocrity, but it could just as well justify doing great things. believing in a lack of free will /the big chain reaction is ultimately kind of inconsequential if you don't have any way of predicting the result, unless you just pat yourself on the back whenever time moves forward. it's a matter of self worth maybe

[@dungeonmaster217]

Remember being obsessed by this topic, but was actually horrified with this topic. And there are known people of science (hello, Robert Sapolsky) doing such claims. So it became cool and sciency to say you have no free will. And they are almost proud they believe so. Why? This is incredibly depressive worldview just edgy for the sake of being edgy. Why would someone want to believe in that?

[@nightmarebananaful]

If exactly as described, then sure that could be seen as depressing. But scrolling through the comments, it looks like this is not the only way to look at it. It's a distinction between philosophically knowing that it cannot be demonstrated that you could of done anything differently and understanding that with the experience that you have now that you could change the result. Put simpler, understand you don't but live as if you do.

[@medleysa]

So where does God’s sovereignty fit into this? Are you suggesting Open Theism, or is it that God has foreknowledge (or middle knowledge, or something similar) and allows us free will, from our perspective?

[@KainiaKaria]

Because someone is free to say and or do a thing does not mean that it serves their freedoms and the freedoms of others. People tend to forget about how personal responsibility plays a role in freedom. All because one finds redemption does not mean that what has been said or even done is forgotten. You of all will remember that for the rest of your life. So often do people also give account of their crimes. People move on after mistreating you. They’re not sitting up in a room somewhere thinking about you. Most of the time they move on and live perfectly fine after doing you dirty. It’s time you release yourself from the shackles of waiting for someone to regret how they treated you. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. The wise understand this and thus hold restraint on their words and their actions. Krishna asked what is action and what is inaction? This very question has confused sages. The true nature of action is difficult for many to grasp. The love of wisdom is surely greater than the love of material things. To be around those who espouse great and profound wisdom of the One. We all must understand what is action and what is inaction, and what kind of action should be avoided. The wise see that there is action in the midst of inaction and inaction in the midst of action. Just take note of how pithy that is. Where was stuff of this nature in my life? For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Those are words of an extremely wise man. It is funny how people don’t listen to wisdom. People act and or speak with little to no consideration for others and you see how quickly freedom is cast to the wayside. How quickly wisdom is forgotten. People are far too interested in sniffing their own farts and eating their own poop. Both works of a sick and depraved mind. People lean on their own understanding of things for which they lack understanding on. That is very much a condemnation of people. Krishna said that one is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up in the fire of perfect knowledge. Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of undertakings. You would be surprised by how often people don’t take stuff like this seriously. They would not know of it unless they spent time reading it.

[@BobofWOGGLE]

Free Will is a movie about a young man releasing an orca from seaworld to a michael jackson soundtrack, nothing more.

[@laughingvampire7555]

If you believe everything is matter is called Materialism or Physicalism. And reality isn't deterministic, just ask any physicist about it, it isn't, reality is undeterministic and free will exists, thinking that free will doesn't exist because everything is matter is a jump to conclusions that ignores multiple layers, is not even an edgy idea, is an old idea of positivism in the 1800s.

[@particleconfig.8935]

Good job reconteucting it to regain autonomy over your life. For me I think it wasn't so much a cope as just having not figured it out yet. It's quite some deep paradigm stuff and I see the idea of having free will as a helpful mechanism within a deterministic reality.

[@LawrenceHe]

been waiting half a year to get my dose of luke smith content

[@traddad9172]

*Agency* & *conviction* It's amazing how quickly you can change local politics when you show up and voice your opposition/support for initatives.

[@StevenOBrien]

Friend: "Don't worry God, I know you'll do what's best." God: "bro, how many times do I have to keep sending Luke to you to nag you to get off your ass."

[@levifig]

The irony is that Calvin (or Martin Luther, more particularly, since he's the one that wrote the book on Free Will :P) never taught fatalism or the abscense of free will. What they taught was about man's inability to save themselves, needing God's initiative for that. They also taught that you have free will when it comes to your operating procedures in this world/life, outside of salvation, both before and after redemption. It's actually a cool and deep concept, and nothing to do with how Calvinism is usually characterized, even in evangelical circles. What they emphasized was God's sovereignty over all things, space and time, not God's predeterminism on all things. The teaching is God CAN determine everything, not so much that He does determine everything… outside of salvation (i.e. monergism). Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 🙏

[@cj548]

Not sure you understand what the word cope means. Thinking you have free will is cope not the opposite

[@10ahm01]

Either can be a cope depending on what one actually desires, but I guess I disagree with his generalization; I don't believe we have freewill even though I would have preferred if we did.

[@Femyoz]

I still believe in some level of fatalism caused by nature and nurture, as our ultimate outcomes are already heavily skewed by default, however I'm also a utilitarian, meaning I believe in maximizing positive outcomes, which requires me to act as an interventionist in the world, an inevitable outcome of my worldview. I believe that everything will happen, has already happened, and is currently happening all at once on a 4th dimensional axis depending on your vantage point, but that I have the ability to control what this axis looks like for me to an extent. Even if these outcomes have ultimately been determined, some of them are still contingent upon my intervention, something that I still actively have to work for.

[@anonymous82783]

Why not use determinism to our advandage? "I don't have any choice; I _have_ to become a godlike programmer/artist/athlete."