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If you look at the polysemy of 'to determine', you will likely determine that the primary meaning is actually to 'recognize, find out'. In that sense, saying that somebody had no choice means they don't anymore have a choice. But looking towards the future, you never have a closed function; the outcome is open. The ambiguity of 'to determine' is still relevant, because by determining a fact, you (try to) determine an outcome. This polysemy exists the same in other languages, e.g. German "bestimmen". If you are lucky, your future will remain undetermined. After all, there's only one certain closed function for the future, which is its ... End. PS: there's a contraction when people want to make free willed choices and remain undetermined at the same time. And it gets turned on its head when people are determined not to make any decisions, because ultimately, they will be deprived of all choices. PPS: In law and politics especially, determining a 'fact' often has the ridiculous outcome that ridiculous rules based on rough estimates determine a detrimental outcome, e.g. age-limits on movies or tax collection. Those are real underlying problems, not philosophy. And the very notion of free will comes into play with 'wanton'. That does not just play a role with e.g. premediated murder, but "Willkürverbot" against law and court is anchored in the German Grundgesetz, that every decision must be based on reason. "Willkür" roughly translates to ... wow, I guess, "good faith". Whereas 'voluntary' is "freiwillig" (free willing). "Wille" compares to "Wahl" (election, choice). The history of "Willkür" is complicated, but Pfeifer compares Sanskr. "juis-", for "Kür" and related words, which reminds too much of Lt. 'iius'. > got. kiusan ‘prüfen’. Hierzu stellen sich außergerm. Entsprechungen wie aind. juṣátē, jṓṣati ‘hat gern, findet Gefallen, genießt’, awest. zaoš-, apers. dauš- ‘an etw. Gefallen finden’, griech. gé͞uesthai (γεύεσθαι) ‘kosten, schmecken, zu spüren bekommen’, lat. dēgūnere ‘kosten’, air. togu ‘wählen’ und, mit dentalem Element wie in ↗kosten (s. d.), lat. gustāre ‘kosten, genießen’, die auf eine gemeinsame Wurzel ie. g̑eus- ‘kosten, genießen, schmecken’ (im Germ. und Kelt. ‘wählen’ durch Übertragung des Wahrnehmens und Prüfens auf andere Sinnesbereiche) führen. "iius" also reminds of 'juice', as far as enjoyment goes, which with relations to blood (cp. Agr. ear - blood, juice; and the four humors [juices] theory, "Viersäfteleehre"). 'Joy' itself looks related. Talk about bad blood and gusto. Gives August a different perspective, too. Whereas "free" has to be compared to "Frieden" (piece), with a sense secure, bounded (cp. fence? Friesen ... Brit vs Fritz, through 'bh'?). Still Lt. "volens" has to be compared to Ger. "wollens" (and vollends?). Ultimately I take a shortcut and equate well with will to derive good (cp Ger. "Güte" - mercy, quality, "Gut" - merch, lot [of a farm]); And 'faith' from "Treu und Glauben" and "guter Glaube" which expresses the notion of Willkür for old Kurpfalzen best, by my own esteemed estimate. This derivation is a bit of a freestyle ("Kür" as in sports). "Kür" could relate to 'sure' if a prehistoric scur is assumed, which is, of course, obscure, as is 'obscure'. So we see that the words free will are not literal because a lot of punning was involved. None of that has anything to do with stars, but election is superficially cognate with illuminate (elector - sun; lux - light; lego - collect, read; ligo - bind) and to star has something to do with being appointed. |