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Determinism VS Freewill

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
Recently I was participating in a discussion about the question of how the past affects us and do we have Freewill. I posted the following:

"I would say that human nature has created the past, is creating the present, and will create the future. It is human nature that is responsible for human actions, not the past. The only way to gain control of the future is to determine the future you want and shape human nature in order to create that future."

This led me to think about Freemasonry and what it means to become a better man. I do not see the purpose of Freemasonry as getting men to do good deeds. I see it as creating a better "human nature" in ourselves and, by extension, in the world. There have been plenty of times when civilization went "off the rails", and when human nature ran amok . Nazi Germany, slavery, and before that witch trials, in America, and religious Inquisition in Europe are all examples of times when the worst characteristics of humanity came to the forefront and ran the show.

What do you think? Does Freemasonry have a part to play in holding human nature to a higher standard? Do you think your participation in the Craft makes a difference in the world around you, or does it matter only to you? Can you affect change in the world or only in yourself?
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Working to improve human nature itself. That's a baby first step of a journey long beyond comprehension. Keep your eyes on the horizon not at your feet - Indeed.

Not that I have the slightest clue as to how to do it other than by doing my best each year to be a better man than I was a year before, and to keep trying to educate as many as possible on topics I have studied.
 

Morris

Premium Member
What do you think? Does Freemasonry have a part to play in holding human nature to a higher standard? Do you think your participation in the Craft makes a difference in the world around you, or does it matter only to you? Can you affect change in the world or only in yourself?

I'm in line with determinism or a part of the machine way of thinking. But that doesn't really matter because free will nor determinism can be proven. So it's just a belief. But to answer your questions from my perspective.

Does Freemasonry have a part to play in holding human species to a higher standard? (I swapped out a word there-hope u don't mind). If we do it's very small. My greatest mentors have not been Freemasons. I suspect that's the case for most folks.

Do you think your participation in the Craft makes a difference in the world around you, or does it matter only to you? Yes to the first part. It's helping me think, act, and react. All of this can make a small scale contribution. When you say difference I'm guessing you mean a positive one.

Can you affect change in the world or only in yourself? See above
 
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GKA

Premium Member
Great topic for discussion, Let me add a penny or two
I have come to the conclusion that one man cannot change anything in the world, he can only change himself, herein is the challenge to our freewill
We have freewill but that does not mean that we are not destined to do or be something.
Destiny is that place at the end of a chain of events which directs us onto a specific path, it may or may not be divine intervention and we may or may not accept it
but I believe that it certainly does exist.
If our freewill is coupled to our destiny, we are happy and successful, if it isn't, we find constant struggle and strife
Has anyone here not been directed toward something which made no sense at the time, but turned out to be just the thing either you are someone else needed?
Divine intervention, destiny or just luck? I don't know for sure.
 
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