Defining Our Terms Much of the difficulty in examining and discussing free will lies in the fact that it is very rarely, if ever, defined by those who teach it. This leads to a great deal of confusion because if one does not have a meaning for free will, how can one ever examine it? Clear definitions are necessary for profitable discussion and evaluation. In order for us to learn whether or not the Bible teaches a certain doctrine the meaning of the words used to describe it must be made plain. Clear definitions help us to identify presuppositions. Presuppositions are the assumptions upon which we base our beliefs. When a person is made to clearly define their terms they also are made to clearly outline certain assumptions they have about the way things are which leads them to believe what they do. This point is extremely important as we shall see that most free will proponents automatically assume that whenever a person makes a decision or is given a choice between two alternatives this means they have a free will. Clear definitions help us prevent or detect the fallacy of equivocation. The fallacy of equivocation occurs “when we confuse the several meanings of a word or phrase, accidentally or deliberately, [then] we are using the word equivocally. If this is done in the context of an argument we commit the fallacy of equivocation.”1 This point is related to point two in that many free will proponents confuse the meaning of choice and decision with their concept of free will. So we see that because words can have varied meanings, depending upon the context in which they are used, we must from the outset establish exactly what it is we are discussing.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 16:36:24 +0000
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