Skuttlebut in the News - Free-Will

[Neto]

This one is about 'free Will'. It's interesting to me that these authors (as far as I could read) side-stepped 'religion' as a context in which 'free-will' is commonly considered or discussed.
[See more notes from me after the links.]

Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will
by Kevin J. Mitchell

https://bookshop.org/p/books/free-agent ... 0691226231

Some of these sites are behind paywalls.

The Fate of Free Will
James Gleick
In Free Agents, Kevin Mitchell makes a scientific case for the existence of human agency.
January 18, 2024 issue

https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/0 ... ree%20will

The Fate of Free Will: When Science Crosses Swords with Philosophy
In some domains the two knowledge systems are complementary, but in others they might be headed for conflict
By Abraham Loeb on September 10, 2018

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ob ... hilosophy/

The Choice Is Yours: The Fate Of Free Will
JANUARY 15, 201410:02 AM ET
By Marcelo Gleiser

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/ ... -free-will

My initial thoughts:
I've been thinking about this from the Biblical perspective, and I will start by saying that I believe that what ever one thinks about the Genesis account of creation, it informs us that God gave humanity free-will.

Assuming that this is correct, then a question: What did Adam's sin do to this created ability? Did sin take it away? Cripple it? If either of these are considered to be the answer, then
Did Jesus' victory over sin & death restore this ability for everyone?

Is "the sinful nature" just another way of saying that when Adam sinned, he gave up his (and that of all humanity that descended from him and Eve) ability to fully exercise "free-will"? In other words, did his sin of rebellion against perhaps the only command God gave him which he disobeyed, did he by that rebellion or disobedience give his free will to Satan? Would this mean that the only real free-will that a non-believer has is the ability to turn to God in belief?

[I have not thought this through completely yet. I would like to hear you'all's thoughts on it.]

[MaxPC]

I noticed that as well. I would hazard that the discussion of Free Will as expressed in religion is considered either politically incorrect or an invitation to inflame the topic. It is my perception that their use of the term "philosophy" is an oblique reference to religion.

In my perception, Adam's Free Will choice to sin (read: "disobey") is exemplary of man's nature to be easily influenced and to make rash decisions. I do not think he assigned himself to satan per se. He did so because his wife influenced him to disobey and he wished to please her. I do think every husband can relate to that. Adam demonstrated that "all fall short of the glory of God" but Free Will gives each the opportunity to rise up and return again to God in obedience. In that context, God's gifts of redemption and mercy are accessible if the individual Freely Chooses to give up disobedience and work to obey God.