"Free will?" WTF?

[nullnaught]

Slamming the Clergy does not win points with me

In reality in seminary 20 years ago the debate waged warming about A.I. some day being sentient and having free will and - OMG - a soul. Philosophers and Clergy actually do consider this and take it far more seriously than scientists. It has implications, spiritual implications.

Clergy actually think seriously upon such matters, we do not rely solely on Ghosts and God to answer questions, this is why you will find many Clergy members with multiple degrees, degrees in science.

You would be surprised how many clergy would agree that we are 'meat machines' and are a product of genetics, and environment. But we are machines that are able to learn and consider consequences to our actions and reactions and are, therefore, able to make choices - free will.

Back to the cane. I hit your shin (accidentally of course) you can choose to react with grabbing my cane and beating me to an inch of my life, or you can laugh it off. You are not predestined to either one, you can control your actions. You can choose to react in one way or the other.

Or are you destined to beat a person who hits your shin with a cane and no amount of 'will' you exert will stop you from that? If so I will make certain to leave my cane at home when I visit you.

Yes, but if we are meat machines, what we "choose" to do once we learn and consider cosequences to our actions, isn't that learning and consieration what then is causing our decisions? Without invoking ghostes [sic] how do you escape causation. The fact your deliberations are caused and the final decision is really up to your subconscious which you have no access to and can't influence? All your conditioning and learning and considering is still programing. how do you escape programing when your deliberations are themselves more programing? Causation is inescapable.