flink@umcp-cs.UUCP (Paul V. Torek) (08/09/85)
In article <3518@decwrl.UUCP> John Williams writes: >1) Will implies a selection or a choice > >2) Free implies that the choice is arbitrary Stop right there! By what reasoning or evidence do you get 2)? --Paul V Torek
ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (08/11/85)
In article <1174@umcp-cs.UUCP> flink@maryland.UUCP (Paul V. Torek) writes: >In article <3518@decwrl.UUCP> John Williams writes: >>1) Will implies a selection or a choice >> >>2) Free implies that the choice is arbitrary > >Stop right there! By what reasoning or evidence do you get 2)? > >--Paul V Torek OED - arbitrary: To be decided by one's liking; dependent on will or pleasure.. Seems reasonable enough to me. -michael
flink@umcp-cs.UUCP (Paul V. Torek) (08/12/85)
In response to article <462@spar.UUCP> by ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis): >>>2) Free implies that the choice is arbitrary [John Williams] >> >>Stop right there! By what reasoning or evidence do you get 2)? [P.T.] > > OED - arbitrary: To be decided by one's liking; dependent on will or > pleasure.. [Michael Ellis] That shows that (arbitrary -> up to one's will), but it doesn't show that the reverse implication holds, unless there are no other necessary conditions for arbitrariness. But I think there is: another necessary condition for a choice to be arbitrary is that there is no clear superior choice. --Paul V Torek