free will

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 3: Have you ever been in pain?

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Pain doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t care about belief. It just is. The traditional view of God—powerful, all-knowing, and good—collides with the reality of suffering, leading us to ask: If God could intervene, why does so much pain remain untouched? The problem of evil isn’t a theological trick; it’s a question born from love. It’s the refusal to accept suffering as just the way things are. Sometimes, atheism begins with grief, with the painful recognition that a loving God who doesn’t intervene looks eerily like one who isn’t there at all. So, what do we do with a universe where pain is real, often undeserved, and the most compassionate response isn’t explanation—but presence?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 7: Summary – What’s your favorite color?

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The question isn’t whether we believe in God, but whether we recognize that God believes in us. Whether we’re believers or nonbelievers, the idea of God shows up in our values, our sense of meaning, and our relationships. The light doesn’t vanish because we describe it differently; it shines through in our actions, our resistance to meaninglessness, and our capacity for love. Whether we pray, doubt, or live quietly, the essence of God might not be in belief, but in the life we create and the love we give.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 6: What’s love got to do with it?

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Love isn’t a necessity for the universe to function, but it persists anyway. It disrupts the cold efficiency of survival and adds something deeper, more tender, to the story of existence. Metaphysics and philosophy ask whether love is a fluke of chemistry or a clue that the universe is more than machinery—it might be the very force that holds the system together, a source of connection, meaning, and goodness that can’t be explained away.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 5: Feeling lucky?

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Pascal’s wager isn’t about proving God’s existence—it’s about recognizing that life is already a gamble. Whether we believe or not, we’re staking our time, values, and energy on something. Pascal argues that, given the stakes, betting on God is the most rational choice because it offers the highest possible payoff with the least risk. Philosophy invites us to consider: what are you already betting on, and what do you stand to gain or lose?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 7: Summary: What, me worry?

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The tension between free will and determinism may not be a dichotomy at all. Compatibilism invites us to see both forces as part of the same unfolding process, rather than opposing forces. Instead of fighting for one or the other, we can embrace the truth that we are the dance itself – not separate from the universe, but a dynamic part of it. Philosophy invites us to live fully in that dance, where choice and causality coexist in fluid, unpredictable harmony.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 6: What does God look like?

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Genesis tells us humanity is made in the “image of God,” but what if that image isn’t physical? What if it’s the power to create from nothing, to choose beyond the constraints of cause and effect? Metaphysical libertarianism suggests that the truest form of freedom – the ability to decide, to act outside the law of causality – is the closest we come to expressing divinity. Philosophy invites us to notice those moments when we create, unbidden, and realize that in those flashes, we reflect the image of the Creator.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 5: Are you a flesh-bot?

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If we are merely following a script, then rebellion becomes impossible. Metaphysical libertarianism argues that true freedom is found in the ability to step outside the prescribed pattern, to make choices that defy the “puppet strings.” Even if freedom is imperfect, it’s real when we break the chain and act beyond the limits we’ve known. Philosophy doesn’t promise us perfect choices, but it invites us to make those imperfect, free choices again and again.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 4: Can you touch a thought?

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What if free will isn’t just about choosing between pre-determined options? What if, in rare moments, we make choices that break the chain of cause and effect entirely? In metaphysical libertarianism, these uncaused decisions—like a magician pulling something out of nowhere—offer a glimpse of true freedom, where choice exists outside the expected, outside the pattern, and simply is.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 3: Have you weighed the pros and cons?

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Deliberation creates space between impulse and action. When we pause to weigh reasons, we interrupt habits and open new pathways for choice. Metaphysical libertarianism suggests that freedom may live not only in spontaneity, but in these moments of reflection, where we reconsider what seemed inevitable and allow ourselves to act differently than our past would predict.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 08 – Metaphysics 5 (Metaphysical Libertarianism) – Part 2: Have you ever surprised yourself?

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Some choices don’t arrive through deliberation. They appear suddenly, without warning, explanation, or clear cause. Metaphysical libertarianism takes these moments seriously, asking whether spontaneity might be evidence of genuine agency rather than randomness. Philosophy invites us to notice when a decision feels uncaused yet still unmistakably ours, as if freedom slipped in through a side door.

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