1. Shifting Gears #1: One Small Choice Feraco Myth to Science Fiction 12 April 2010

2. The Shifting Gears Series  Originally designed to cover concerns from a variety of works – The Matrix, Siddhartha, Macbeth, Anthem, 1984, and Brave New World – used by either one or both of the Myth to Science Fiction and Search for Human Potential Courses  Incorporated larger philosophical concerns into our coursework  Gave us insight into the ways both the ancient and modern world viewed some of life’s most important issues

3. The Shifting Gears Series  Reworked to target Building a Better World works: 1984, Brave New World, Slaughter-house Five, Never Let Me Go, The Matrix, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  Ties into the “Dismantle.Repair” work we’ll be doing in April and May on education, justice, and labor, as well as to our final utopia work  Only a couple of formal Brave New World lectures in store (you’ll receive study guides and handouts to guide you)

4. What is Choice?  Choice vs. Destiny  The Functions of Free Will  Universal Causality/Determinism  Other Arguments Against Free Will  The “God” Argument  The “Logic” Argument  Arguments For Free Will  Determinists vs. Libertarians vs. Compatibilists vs. Agents  What Are Your Views on Choice and Free Will?  Which Factors Influence Them?  How Do These Views Affect Everything Else?

5. Choice vs. Destiny  Do you think it’s important to have free will? Would you be OK without it?  If we have control, can it be superseded by something else?  If we don’t have control, who does?  Can that control be trusted?  Does truth lie somewhere in between?  Are we capable of resisting human nature?  Can life still be meaningful without control?

6. Choice vs. Destiny in “The Matrix”  How much control does Neo have over what happens to him?  Is he a free agent, or a piece on a chessboard?  How many choices does Neo make?  How many people try to influence him?  Does Neo have a destiny?  Is it possible for Neo to fail if he has a destiny?  Does he still have to look both ways while crossing the street?

7. The Functions of Free Will  Let’s assume for a minute that destiny exists – and that choice doesn’t  Do we still have morals?  What happens to responsibility?  Are we still “creative”?  If we assume that destiny doesn’t exist, but that choice does, what happens to, say, the karma concept?  If choice doesn’t exist, can you really find your own way?  Is it even possible to live one’s life under the assumption that all appearance of choice is meaningless, and that we don’t actually control anything?

8. Universal Causality/Determinism  Universal causality states that every effect has a cause, which is in turn the effect of another cause  It makes one wonder what the original “cause” was!  This was Einstein’s world-view  Causality presupposes that choice is an illusion – that everything we do is simply the inevitable after-effect of some cause, seen or unseen, and that we’re essentially just vessels for cause/effect delivery  This is also known as determinism

9. The “God” Argument  Besides UC/Determinism, two other popular arguments against free will often surface  The “God” argument (presupposes monotheistic religious belief)  God is omnipotent and omniscient (all- powerful and all-seeing), which makes God infallible  God knows the future as a result of the “omni” combination  Therefore, God can’t possibly be wrong about the future – which means we can only do what God already sees, and can’t possibly do otherwise

10. The “Logic” Argument  The second argument is the “Logic” argument  “Excluded Middle” law states that absolutes exist for every proposition: Either P or Not P is true, with no middle ground  “Noncontradiction” law states that P and Not P can’t be true at the same time

11. The “Logic” Argument Continued  Let our proposition – P – be “Cherry – you’re going to fail your final tomorrow.”  Either she will or she won’t  If she will, nothing that happens between now and then will stop her from doing so  If she won’t, the same holds true, right?

12. The “Logic” Argument Continued  Now it looks like Cherry has two “options” – she either will or won’t fail  However, since only one can be true, only one is really present – and she’s powerless to choose the other  In order to be free, you have to have choices – and Cherry doesn’t really have them.  Scary!

13. So Free Will Doesn’t Exist? Thanks for Ruining My Monday, Mr. Feraco…  Not necessarily; there’s a reason this question has fascinated people for centuries.  For the “God” argument, we can say that the “omni” force can perfectly see the things it controls – and that, because it knows its creations so well, it can accurately predict any possible choice one could make in response to a given situation  However, it could still grant us free will – and therefore serves more as someone who’s really good at a strategy game (still sees the endgame, predicts the actions of the other player, and brings about the steps to make that endgame real – but doesn’t need to absolutely control the actions of the other player)  “We are responsible human beings, not blind automatons; persons, not puppets. By endowing us with freedom, God relinquished a measure of his own sovereignty and imposed certain limitations upon himself.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

14. What About the Logic Scenario?  As for the “logic” scenario, let’s say that Cherry really, really doesn’t want to fail her final.  We’ll also say she’s “destined” to pass. (Whew.)  Does this really mean she has no choice?  After all, there are different ways to pass  She can study alone  She can study with friends  She can speak with her instructor (always a good idea)  She can cheat (tsk tsk)  In any case, Cherry still has choices within her outcome!  You know you’re going to eat, but you don’t necessarily know what you’ll eat – and that decision could very well be yours after all!  Is that the definition of free will?

15. Arguments in Favor of Free Will  Determinists argued that your only free actions are ones you do without cause  But since we (the Ds) believe in UC, everything has a cause – so, in short, you can’t do anything freely  Libertarians also argue that your only free actions are ones you do without cause – “uncaused” free actions  However, they say, we’re obviously free, so why buy into any argument that tries to convince that what you know to be true isn’t – especially since UC isn’t really a scientific principle?

16. Arguments in Favor of Free Will  Compatibilists argue that free acts can be taken as long as their cause lies in the inner state of the person – a desire, an intention, etc.  Free will, in essence, lines up with UC nicely – because our inner choices/causes determine our will.  Finally, agents argue that free acts are caused by agents (i.e., people).  UC exists, in that every event has a cause – but not every cause is an event itself  Some things have very short causal histories – not every event has a seemingly infinite number of causes linking to it

17. Argh!!! Does It Exist? Tell Me! Please?  No.  One of Siddhartha’s biggest ideas was the thought that one cannot be taught wisdom – that enlightenment only results from living  Teachers are helpful insofar as they show you where to find a flashlight and how to turn it on  It’s up to you to point the light in the right direction, to follow it through the darkness, and to decide where to go  This is turned on its head in Brave New World and, to an extent, in The Matrix  When people can download knowledge or learn in their sleep, is wisdom still possible?

18. 1: Remembering  Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term memory, eg. find out, learn terms, facts, methods, procedures, concepts  Terms: Acquire, Define, Distinguish, Draw, Find, Label, List, Match, Read, Record  Examples: 1. Define each of these terms: a, b, c 2. What was _______________?

19. 2: Understanding  Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining. Understand uses and implications of terms, facts, methods, procedures, concepts  Terms: Compare, Demonstrate, Differentiate, Fill in, Find, Group, Outline, Predict, Represent, Trace  Examples: 1. Compare a ___________ with a __________. 2. Use a set of symbols and graphics to demonstrate _______________.

20. 3: Applying  Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing. Make use of, apply practice theory, solve problems, use information in new situations  Terms: Convert, Demonstrate, Differentiate between, Discover, Discuss, Examine, Experiment, Prepare, Produce, Record  Examples: 1. Convert the following into a real-world problem: a = b/c. 2. Experiment with ___________ and ____________ to create _____________.

21. 4: Analyzing  Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing, and attributing. Take concepts apart, break them down, analyze structure, recognize assumptions and poor logic, evaluate relevancy  Terms: Classify, Determine, Discriminate, Form generalizations, Put into categories, Illustrate, Select, Survey, Take apart, Transform  Examples: 1. Illustrate examples of two types of _________. 2. Dissect and examine a ______________.

22. 5: Evaluating  Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing. Set standards, judge using standards, evidence, rubrics, accept or reject on basis of criteria  Terms: Argue, Award, Critique, Defend, Interpret, Judge, Measure, Select, Test, Verify  Examples: 1. Defend or negate the following statement: "_________________." 2. Judge the value of ___________________.

23. 6: Creating  Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing. Put things together; bring together various parts; write theme, present speech, plan experiment, put information together in a new & creative way  Terms: Synthesize, Arrange, Blend, Create, Deduce, Devise, Organize, Plan, Present, Rearrange, Rewrite  Examples: 1. Create a demonstration to show _____________. 2. Devise a method to teach others about _________________.

24. The Whole Shebang!

25. The Danger of Hypnopedia  As great as it would be to simply download information – “I know kung- fu!”, etc. – or learn it hypnopedically, we run the risk of sacrificing something greater, albeit more ephemeral  So much of education is creative – is communal, for that matter – that the simple input of knowledge can’t serve as an adequate substitute  This doesn’t even begin to get into the bigger problems with such an approach  What if someone changed your recording?  What if you downloaded a corrupted file or virus?

26. The Reason for the Argument  The reason the Choice vs. Destiny argument is worth having is because it speaks to something larger  Namely, the argument forces us to evaluate just how we wish to go through life – not simply whether we can decide what we do, but whether we live while doing so  The societies in The Matrix and Brave New World may be predicated on human contentment…but their form betrays their function  After all…is it possible to be passively happy?

27. Now It’s Your Turn!  Articulate your personal philosophy regarding choice and destiny.  Here are some questions to help you get started:  What is your “truth?”  What is your proof?  Which school’s arguments about choice dovetail most closely with your own, and how do they compare?  Which school do you absolutely disbelieve, and why?