Today’s presentation will be a Hybrid meeting with online and in-person options.
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From Catherine Francis:
For this week’s presentation, as I didn’t have much time to prepare, I submitted both the topic and discussion questions into ChatGPT. The following write up and discussion questions were both AI generated. I thought this would be a thought-provoking way to introduce the topic of free will since it raises the question of how much of what we say and do and think is preprogrammed or predetermined in some way. After all, we can probably agree that ChatGPT did not exercise any free will in generating the write up and discussion questions. Rather, it was following instructions written into it by a higher power, or multiple higher powers, that is to say the human beings who created the program and millions of human beings whose cumulative efforts over the last decades/centuries led up to the creation of this program.
I wanted to add some of my own discussion questions but frankly I thought AI did a pretty good job. Even including a self-reflecting question about the impact of AI. I also considered the moral implications of submitting the topic and discussion questions as if I had researched and written them myself, as opposed to having merely researched and signed up for and learned how to use ChatGPT. Would that be “cheating”? Do topic proposers have a moral responsibility to submit original work? Most importantly, as raised in two of the AI generated discussion questions, could I be held morally responsible for violating an implicit HAT code of conduct by submitting a write up and discussion questions that I didn’t create myself, if I wasn’t exercising free will? Is our entire moral compact and legal system predicated on acceptance of free will? What happens if scientific advances ultimately prove that all of our actions are predetermined and that free will is an illusion?
From ChatGPT:
Free will is the philosophical concept that refers to the ability of individuals to make choices that are not predetermined by any external force, such as fate, destiny, or divine intervention. It is the idea that individuals have the power to make decisions for themselves, independently of any other factor.
According to this concept, individuals have the ability to choose between different options and act according to their own desires and beliefs. This means that free will implies that individuals have control over their own actions, and are responsible for the consequences of those actions.
Free will has been a topic of debate among philosophers, theologians, and scientists for centuries, with many different theories and interpretations proposed. Some argue that free will is an illusion, as all actions are ultimately determined by the laws of nature or by past events. Others believe that free will is a real phenomenon that allows individuals to make choices and take actions that are not predetermined.
Regardless of the debate around its existence or nature, the concept of free will is central to many ethical and moral debates, as it affects our understanding of personal responsibility, punishment, and the nature of human agency.
1. Do humans have free will, or are our actions predetermined by factors such as genetics and environment?
2. If free will does exist, what are the implications for moral responsibility?
3. Can neuroscience and psychology shed light on the nature of free will?
4. How do religious and philosophical beliefs influence our understanding of free will?
5. Is free will compatible with determinism, or are they mutually exclusive?
6. What is the relationship between free will and randomness?
7. Can technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, impact our ability to exercise free will?
8. How does the concept of free will impact our sense of personal identity and autonomy?
9. Is free will necessary for moral agency, or can we hold people accountable for their actions even if they lack free will?
10. What are the practical implications of believing in or rejecting the existence of free will?