Free Will Part Deux

Practical Stoicism

Evergreen Podcasts

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2023

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this podcast episode, myself and guest Dr. William O. Stephens, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University, delve into the concept of free will in Stoicism, defined as "uninhibited freedom of choice." Initially, I share my emotional response to criticisms received on a previous episode about free will. Recognizing my response as un-Stoic, I offer an apology and clarify my views, emphasizing my responsibility in presenting Stoicism accurately, especially to the young and impressionable audience. Dr. Stephens and I explore whether Stoicism supports the idea of free will. We discuss the Stoic view of the universe as a blend of fate and individual agency, emphasizing that Stoicism is not deterministic but compatibilist - it allows for free will within a framework of causal determinism. This perspective aligns with my understanding of free will in Stoicism, which I define as the ability to make one's own choices, free from external coercion. We delve into Stoic psychology and the concept of 'lecta' (sayables or propositions) and how these relate to human decision-making. Dr. Stephens explains that while Stoics believe in fate, they also maintain that individuals have the freedom of ascent, the ability to agree or disagree with presented propositions, thus exercising free choice. The episode also touches upon different philosophical positions regarding determinism and free will: hard determinism, soft determinism (compatibilism), and libertarianism. We establish that Stoics are compatibilists who believe in both causal determinism and human freedom to choose, making them morally responsible for their actions. A significant part of our discussion revolves around the Stoic concept of 'prohairesis' (faculty of choice or volition), particularly in the teachings of Epictetus. This faculty is central to Stoic ethics, embodying the idea that our choices and decisions define us. We also address misconceptions about Stoicism being fatalistic, using examples like the 'lazy argument' to illustrate how Stoics view the role of human agency in a predetermined universe. Additionally, we discuss the Stoic doctrine of eternal return and its relevance (or lack thereof) to Stoic ethics and individual freedom. In conclusion, Dr. Stephens and I affirm that freedom of choice is a crucial component of Stoicism. This episode reaffirms my commitment to Stoicism and its practical application in modern life, regardless of minor differences in interpreting some of its ancient doctrines. -- Support my work directly on Patreon : https://stoicismpod.com/members Subscribe to my Everyday Stoicism blog : https://everydaystoicism.com Join the Actual Stoicism discord community : https://stoicismpod.com/discord -- Online copy of Meditations (A.S.L Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Enchiridion (Elizabeth Carter) : https://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Most of our media are owned by a handful of tech billionaires, but there's one place that still operates like the internet was never invented.
0:10.4	On the new season of the divided dial from On the Media, we're exploring shortwave radio, where prayer and propaganda coexist with news and conspiracy theories, and where an existential battle for the public airwaves is playing out right now.
0:26.3	Listen to On the Media, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:30.2	Well, hey there, Procopton.
0:32.0	In Wednesday's episode, we got a little deep into free will, freedom of choice and such. And boy, did that cause a great
0:41.2	consternation in the Discord community. A lot of people felt that I went too far. They felt I was too
0:48.4	chaotic in my, I don't know how I want to put it in my expression of how I felt about this particular issue.
0:55.6	I was too emotional.
0:56.7	And I'm going to go ahead and have to admit that, yes, I was pretty emotional when I created that episode because I was, as I said at the outset, I was in a snit.
1:04.8	I was upset.
1:06.0	And the reason I was upset is because I really perceive that there is a significant threat in communicating,
1:14.7	especially to young people who are already very disenfranchised in general and very disempowered
1:21.8	in general by a lot of media narrative and political narrative and narrative online that you can get from any
1:29.4	influencer, right, any internet influencer, I perceive there to be a considerable threat to those
1:35.2	people if they are told on top of already being disenchanted and disempowered that they don't
1:43.0	have a freedom of choice, that they are not in
1:46.1	control of their own choices. I think that is a bad thing to do. And since hundreds of thousands
1:52.4	of people listen to this podcast every month, I feel perhaps more than, certainly more than most
1:58.4	people feel, a large responsibility in how I present
2:02.6	stoicism on this particular front. That said, my emotional response was still a
2:08.7	un-stoic emotional response. And so I need to, I think, maybe an apology is too far, but I'm going to
2:14.5	do it anyway. I'm going to apologize for being off the cuff and
	...

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