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    hi, ted, the first paragraph seems interesting: yes, if one were to give up their free will, they couldn't really "choose" to take it back afterwards, and on the other hand, they wouldn't be able to "refuse" to have it reinstated upon them (if, say, god wanted to do so), but i don't see how this subsequent scenarios bear on the initial choice, so to speak; likewise, the second paragraph begins speaking of certain freedoms being given up or forcibly taken away, but i fail to see the connection to the "general capacity" of free will Commented Jun 25, 2025 at 12:37
  • @acb1516: if one were to successfully surrender free will, one would become an absolute automaton: a philosophical zombie, if you will. But we don't see people turning into philosophical zombies. And the fact that we don't see people turning into philosophical zombies is analytically surprising, because almost everyone would like to have a philosophical zombie (someone to drive them to work, do their laundry, keep their schedule, etc.). PZs would be an extremely valuable commodity, but no one has yet determined how to make one, which suggests there's no easy way to give up one's free will. Commented Jun 25, 2025 at 16:26
  • oh, got it, agree Commented Jun 25, 2025 at 16:48