Q&A: Determinism, Fatalism, and Lack of Philosophical Skill
Determinism, Fatalism, and Lack of Philosophical Skill
Question
Hello Rabbi!
Following the Rabbi’s enlightening books, I thought it appropriate to share this with him:
There is a well-known blog on the internet called “The Solidit,” which deals with economics, freedom, saving, investing, and anti-consumerism.
In one of the posts there
http://www.hasolidit.com/%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%93%D7%99%D7%AA
the writer deals [from the second chapter onward] with the issue of free choice, and in my opinion, based on what I read carefully in the Rabbi’s books, she falls into every possible intellectual trap one can set for the mind: she both draws unwarranted philosophical conclusions from an empirical experiment, and also explains away her “free choice” with an argument that explains nothing.
When I read the post, I was reminded of the Rabbi, and so I am sharing it with him 🙂
Answer
Indeed, and she is in good company. She relies on Saul Smilansky, who holds the compatibilist approach, and is mistaken in this.
Discussion on Answer
Set your mind at ease. This is philosophy, and especially in a field like this anyone can make mistakes. That’s completely legitimate. No need to stop sleeping. What is needed is to be alert and critical. That’s true in science as well, especially in the interpretation of science, but certainly in philosophy.
The thought that a department chair of philosophy at a university could be mistaken in simple philosophical inferences, and suffer from a lack of philosophical skill, keeps me up at night.
(Once again) it proves how alert we have to be, not believers, and to examine everything without bias toward someone’s level of education / degree / position.