A really simple intro to Philosophy

Let's see. This is going to be very simple, without any technical terms, and is not boring at all. =p Just read and nod along the way, and try to see if you can disagree AT ALL, cos the conclusion isnt anything that you are going to like AT ALL. wahaha.

Everything has a cause.

Agree? Agree? Dont understand what I mean by the above statement? Omg, its so simple, everything has a cause la! If you find a book lying on the ground, you will think "someone caused it to fall on the ground" or "the curtains knocked it over". Or one day you find your leg inflicted with a bad sore, you wouldnt go thinking "nothing caused the sore. It just happened." You think that something must have caused it, even if you dont know what that something is. Even if that something might be God. "God caused it." In any case, everything has a cause.

Alright, since everyone is agreed that everything has a cause, let's proceed.

Every action I/you/everyone do now has a cause.

Well.. since you agreed to the previous one, I dont see how you can fail to agree to this. Why did your eyeballs moved? Cos you caused it to move la!

So we are agreed once again.

Then... because everything has a cause, everything that happened now couldnt have possibly been otherwise.

For event A to be different, event B and event C which caused it must have been different. But Event B and C couldnt have been different if event D and E which causes them have not been different... ad infinitum.

My voluntary actions are mostly caused by my existing desires.

Why did you lift your hand? Cos you desire to lift it loh. No trick here, dont bother resisting this. If someone raised your hand against your will, it will not be caused by your existing desires, but then its not voluntary actions anyway.

My existing desires are caused by my existing preferences.

Ok now wait a minute. What do you mean by "caused by existing preferences"? Can preferences cause anything? But stop! you are thinking too far. Simply put, why do you choose to like that flavor of icecream? Cos you have an innate preference for this flavor of icecream. Thats why you desire it. The preferences caused your desires.

Some people like to deny preferences caused their desires. They think their desires are purely that. They are born with the full set of desires. Well ok, let us grant this too. No problem at all!

Something caused me to have my existing desires/preferences. That something is not me.

Well, do you think you can choose your desires? or preferences? In any case, something caused it. You didnt choose it, therefore something that is not you must have chosen it. It may be your genes, it may be God, it may be pure chance. In any case, you didnt choose to have your existing preferences/desires, anymore than you choose to be pretty or ugly.

Ok we can pause here and recap. Lets take a look at the causal chain. (caused is represented by --->)

Something ---> desires/preferences ---> voluntary actions

ok now what the hell is going on here? Something caused me to produce actions (granted), and that something is desires (granted). BUT what caused my desires? ITS NOT ME! Something caused me to have desires to produce some actions in me!

AM I FREE? What is freedom? To produce actions that are voluntary. But if my desires are a result of some previous causes over which I have no control, how can I be considered free? A scientist can plausibly cause me to have certain desires by stimulating some parts of my brain. That isn't free. Neither is it free that I have my existing desires from birth. I didnt choose them, did you?

EVERYTHING has a cause. Something caused my desires to be exactly as they are now, and something caused that something, and something caused that something that caused that something. It goes back in an infinite chain of events, and everything couldnt possibly have happened otherwise. This means the Big Bang caused me to type certain alphabets in certain order according to certain desires I have, which are entirely beyond my control!

You are not free la!