Does philosophical determinism "matter"?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Does taking up the belief that all things--including human actions--are, in effect, pre-determined yield any practical "insights" (whether true or simply logically resulting from the belief) into morality or public policy? I've never really thought so.

[John Dule]

Nope! It's still true though.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Nope! It's still true though.

To be honest, this was mainly made in response to some remark of yours some months back. Glad we're on the same page!

As for its truth, I treat that as irrelevant, but don't blame me, that's just how I'm programmed.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

@John Dule you should try to change this and found a Determinist Party.

[afleitch]

It makes 2020 somewhat more bearable I suppose.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It matters if you let it.

[Mopsus]

If people are automatons responding deterministically to inputs, getting them to do what you want should just be a matter of figuring out the right inputs. I think that supposition has wide-ranging applications.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It doesn't. Whether our actions are "predetermined" in an abstract sense (which, yes, they are) doesn't change the fact that they're not predetermined to ourselves, and this means that, for all relevant intents and purposes, we do have agency.

[John Dule]

If people are automatons responding deterministically to inputs, getting them to do what you want should just be a matter of figuring out the right inputs. I think that supposition has wide-ranging applications.

That is true for all natural systems. The problem, of course, is that we're not capable of calculating those inputs (yet).