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  1. Path: sparky!uunet!utcsri!newsflash.concordia.ca!sifon!charnel!psgrain!ee.und.ac.za!shrike.und.ac.za!pc14.superbowl.und.ac.za!spurrett
  2. From: spurrett@superbowl.und.ac.za (David Spurrett)
  3. Newsgroups: talk.philosophy.misc
  4. Subject: Re: FREE WILL won/one
  5. Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 17:44:31 GMT
  6. Organization: University Of Natal (Durban)
  7. Lines: 44
  8. Message-ID: <spurrett.27.721244671@superbowl.und.ac.za>
  9. References: <spurrett.15.720882192@superbowl.und.ac.za> <1992Nov5.025119.11918@midway.uchicago.edu>
  10. NNTP-Posting-Host: pc14.superbowl.und.ac.za
  11.  
  12. In article <1992Nov5.025119.11918@midway.uchicago.edu> dsoconne@quads.uchicago.edu (Daniel S OConnell) writes:
  13. >From: dsoconne@quads.uchicago.edu (Daniel S OConnell)
  14. >Subject: Re: FREE WILL won/one
  15. >Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 02:51:19 GMT
  16. >(David Spurrett) sketches:
  17. >
  18. >>     o----------------------------------------------o
  19. >>     |          Determinism:                        |
  20. >>     |                                              |
  21. >>     | Past ------------------ Actual Future        |
  22. >>     |                                              |
  23. >>     |                                              |
  24. >>     |          Voluntarism:                        |
  25. >>     |                                              |
  26. >>     |               _________ Possible Future `a'  |
  27. >>     |              /                               |
  28. >>     | Past -------<                                |
  29. >>     |              \_________ Possible Future `b'  |
  30. >>     |               \                              |
  31. >>     |                \_______ etc...               |
  32. >>     o----------------------------------------------o
  33. >
  34. >>  The question, therefore, is _which_ of  the two is true.  The  prob-
  35. >>lem, therefore, is to look into  the credentials of each doctrine.   I
  36. >
  37. >And what about:
  38. >
  39. >                 _________ Possible Future `a' ___
  40. >                /                                 \
  41. >   Past -------<                                   >--------->>
  42. >                \_________ Possible Future `b' ---/
  43. >                 \                               /
  44. >                  \_______ etc..._______________/
  45. >      
  46. >
  47.  
  48. Huh?  What about it _indeed_ in the absence of any indication of what you 
  49. mean by it?  If (as it is essential to assume if the discussion is to have 
  50. any point, and as I did assume) the possible futures are mutually exclusive 
  51. what is the point of your armageddon point where all join up?  Even well 
  52. down that line, the pasts of some would be different, surely.  And if all 
  53. you are saying is that the middle area is irrelevant, how is it different 
  54. from the sketch of determinism?  Ho Hum.
  55.  
  56.