[ExI] free will

[Gordon]

This wandering online philosopher and sometimes extropian thinks he might finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in the seemingly intractable philosophical problem of free will vs determinism. I think Thomas Reid had it right:

"This natural conviction of our acting freely, which is acknowledged by many who hold the doctrine of necessity, ought to throw *the whole burden of proof* upon that side; for, by this, the side of liberty has what lawyers call a *jus quaesitum*, or a right of ancient possession, which ought to stand good till it be overturned. If it cannot be proved that we always act from necessity, there is no need of arguments on the other side to convince us that we are free agents."

-Thomas Reid (1710-1796)