Could you live believing in hard determinism?

[Foreigner]

I actually believe that determinism exists by default but can be transcended. That is where I see the purpose of spirituality, to transcend those things. I believe that through through free will determinism can be overcome. I see the soul, the mind, and free will as all one entity. That entity is us. We are all those things. However, because we exist as mortal beings on this earth, determinism guides most of what goes on. However, while I believe that's how the world works most of the time, I still have faith that it can be transcended. I think the human soul can transcend and even change ones brain chemistry. However, unlike souls, brains are always subject to determinism.

Whether you believe you're being guided or you have all the control, you're still just part of the one. It's all one thing and that will never change. You can be part of the one that thinks it's doing shit or be part of the one that thinks it's not doing shit, or is co-creating, or whatever. That's the beauty of it.

I can see why people would go the hard determinism route because it takes pressure off of the psyche to have to be aware of all the factors at all times. I've found in periods where I totally surrender control and submit my will to Divine will, I get less anxious, less depressed, and sink into "everything is happening according to the plan". It does create synchronous patterns and cool alignments start to happen. It's also very freeing.

On the flipside I've gone through periods where I'm using my will to actively structure my life under the premise that I am empowered and can do whatever I want, and this also has its uses. With determinism, it can be easy to fall into victimhood and "why me" when shit goes really wrong... you start asking the Divine "wtf?" and expect it to know the answers, make solutions happen, etc. Exercising free will is useful in those circumstances.

I dunno... I don't think it's cut and dry. In something as vast as the entire universe surely there is capacity for both, which is why humans live in such paradox. I find that I yo-yo between different perceptual realities, according to where my path is leading. Sometimes it's just so painfully obvious that my strings are being pulled and my heart is saying "go with it", and other times shit gets real and it's my responsibility to act. It's a balance.

 

[drug_mentor]

^ I think you may be confusing hard determinism with something else. Whilst a hard determinist may well believe in the "Divine", one can be an atheist and a hard determinist. Just because you think everything which happens is determined by antecedent causes does not mean they were caused by a divine or omnipotent being.

I tend to find those who believe in hard determinism have the opposite of the victim mentality you speak of, they tend to take the view that they couldn't do anything to change things and have a fairly stoic approach to tragedy.

I have really strong sympathies for hard determinism. If I am honest I find the arguments in favour of it more compelling than those against it, but something holds me back from committing to the view.

One philosophy I have never really understood the appeal of is soft determinism. It seems like they want to have their cake and eat it too, mostly by changing the definition of free-will so radically that they are essentially just equivocating.

I am curious about this "one" you speak of. Do you think the one is confined to life on earth, or do you believe the whole universe to be one? Is this oneness limited to things which we ordinarily regard as having consciousness, or does your view entail some form of panpsychism?

I think the idea that the whole world/universe/whatever is one being really undermines the possibility of free-will and self-determination. You could argue on this view that the agent/self is an illusion and it is just part of a larger whole, if this is the case then how could you have free-will? It would be like claiming a heart or a finger has free-will.

 

[Foreigner]

^ Thanks for your post, just wanted to add that I understand the theistic vs. atheist versions of determinism, I'm just expounding upon my experiences.

Free will is not undermined by oneness. It's just a statement of complex interdependence. You can view yourself as separate and individual or part of the whole, it makes no difference because you don't exist in vacuo.

On the quantum level there is no distinction between anything, there are no boundaries. The physical, concrete material world that we perceive is merely a densified version of matter/energy creating the illusion that something is here.

I agree that despite the oneness and the illusory nature of reality, it seems like stuff is happening. That's the paradox. If you play a video game, it seems real, but as soon as you flip the power button it's all gone. The experience was Empty to start with.

That's why I don't see a conflict between determinism and free will co-existing. Nothing has substance anyway, so whether you're emptiness believing that oneness is guiding you or emptiness believing you're calling the shots, you're still just emptiness. The whole "Am I in control or is something else controlling me?" is a bait and switch from a more fundamental issue: who is asking the question? It keeps the mind safe from having to face the truth.