Saturday, May 25, 2019

Singularity and Free Will

The standard concept of Free Will is Singularist.  For, Singularity connotes absolute independence, and Free Will connotes behavior that is absolutely independent of any external influence.  Singularity is properly a characteristic of a moment, so that some entity can exercise Free Will does not entail that it is Singular at other moments.  Now, Free Will is usually considered to obtain in two main contexts.  First, ordinary behavior is often conceived as Free, especially in an Economic context such as shopping.  Second, Free Will is essential in some Theologies, in order to explain the existence of Evil--which cannot be ascribed to a Good deity, so must be ascribed to a creation that possesses a Will that is independent of the Will of its creator.  In both cases, the Singularity is momentary, since the exerciser of Free Will is otherwise dependent on some external influence for its existence.  So, Spinoza's Individualist critique of Singularism--that the appearance of a Mode as sui generis is an inadequate representation of its Individuality, i. e. that it is actually an instance of Universal Substance--has both targets.  His critique of naive experience is often better recognized by scholars than is its Theological heterodoxy.  In any case, as an instance of Universal Substance, the behavioral principle of a Mode is Self-Determination, rather than either Free Will or Determination, as they are usually conceived in the traditional debate.

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