Difference between revisions of "Free will"

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'''Free will''' is a topic that has been addressed in several ways throughout the Lonelygirl15 series.  The question of free will has been a central issue since the beginning of philosophical thought.<ref name=Free>[http://www.lonelygirl15.com/lgpedia/index.php/Free_Will Wikipedia article on Free Will]</ref>
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:{{one other use|the subject of free will|the KateModern video|Free Will (video)}}
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'''Free will''' is a topic that has been addressed in several ways throughout the Lonelygirl15 series.  The question of free will has been a central issue since the beginning of philosophical thought.<ref name=Free>[http://www.lg15.com/lonelygirl15/lgpedia/index.php/Free_Will Wikipedia article on Free Will]</ref>
  
We get our first indication that free will might be an issue in the early videos when we see a picture of [[Aleister Crowley]] on [[Bree's bedroom]] wall. Crowley was a champion of free will.  His most popular writing on the issue was Liber Oz.<ref>[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib77.html Hermetic.com article on Liber Oz]</ref>  In it, Crowley outlined what he believed to be the Rights of Man.
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==Aleister Crowley==
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[[Image:Crowleyshrine.jpg|right|140px|Picture of Aleister Crowley in Bree's room|thumb]]
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The first indication that Free Will might become an issue in the series was a picture of [[Aleister Crowley]], a champion of free will, hanging on a wall in [[Bree's room]], as part of some sort of shrine.
  
A common misunderstanding, however, is that Crowley believed anyone should be absolutely free to do whatever he wants with no opposition. This, however, is not the case.  Crowley perfectly understood the fact that actions have consequences.  He was the first to state that there should be laws and punishment for crimes, such as the following statement:
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Crowley's beliefs &ndash; the ''"Rights of Man"'' &ndash; were outlined most popularly in his text "Liber Oz"<ref>[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib77.html Hermetic.com article on Liber Oz]</ref>; in it, he makes clear he does not believe in ''absolute'' freedom, but rather, that the freedom of one ends in the freedom of another: One must not use his own freedom to restrict someone else's. Most importantly, he also advocated that for such cases, laws and penalties should be in place. He called this the ''Law of Thelema''.{{clr}}
  
:"My retort, however, is convincing and finalRobbery in any shape is a breach of the Law of Thelema. It is interference with the right of another to dispose of his property as he will; and if I did so myself, no matter with what tactical justification, I could hardly ask others to respect my own similar right.
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==The Law of Thelema==
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[[Image:Unicursal tiny.gif|right]]
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The free will espoused by [[Thelema]] (θέλημα) is a free will to act according to your True WillAs it states in the Book of the Law, ''"Thou hast no right but to do thy will."''. An interesting argument following this is that this principle actually ''forbids'' many things you might want to do - committing a crime, for example, or simple health-damaging acts like smoking. Because, as the reasoning goes, these acts, be it by leading to persecution or damage to one's health, restrict the individual's ability to act in fullness, and, as such, violate his own free will by disallowing him to do whatever he wants. (In other words: One is not allowed to restrict any person's freedom; since heavy smoking would restrict a person's ability to breathe freely, for example, a smoker is essentially restricting his own freedom, and, as such, violating the Law of Thelema by giving in to his desire to smoke.)
  
:(The basis of our criminal law is simple, by virtue of Thelema: to violate the right of another is to forfeit one's claim to protection in the matter involved.)"
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This interpretation is interesting as it might be the reasoning behind [[Bree's diet]] - making sure she's truly following and embracing her True Will, not violating it by health-damaging foods.
  
The free will espoused by Thelema is a free will to act according to your True Will. As it states in the Book of the Law, "Thou hast no right but to do thy will." It could therefore be argued that any action that results in a person's freedoms being compromised, such as criminal acts, or result in a person's health being compromised, such as use of tobacco, are not exercises of free will, but rather the restriction of the individual's free will, since they restrict his ability to act in fullness.
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===Thelematic world view===
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The Free Will as envisioned in Thelema is not anarchy, as it is not without law &ndash; each individual is bound to his own True Will and to developing it by experience. It is acknowledged by the Book that this will lead to conflict (''"As brothers fight ye!"''), however, according to the teachings, wherever the wills of two clash, ''one'' must be wrong.  
  
The free will of Thelema is not anarchy.  It is each individual being bound to his True Will, expanding the same by virtue of experience.  It requires self-discipline by the individual.  In cases where the apparent wills of two people clash, conflict may manifest.  As the Book of the Law states "As brothers fight ye!" and "If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him". However, in the case where the wills of two clash, one must be wrong. "Every man and every woman is a star".  
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In this context, another quote from the Book is interesting &ndash; ''"If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him."''. A "King", according to Thelema, is someone who is not only willing to act, but thinking out his actions and accepting responsibility for them as well. One who is mastered by consequences is not a King, but a slave. The Book states ''"Therefore the kings of the earth shall be Kings for ever: the slaves shall serve."'', and makes clear: ''"this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world."''.
  
The statement "Every man and every woman is a star" may imply many things to usHowever, one meaning might be that every person has their own orbit.  Every person has their own sphere of influence and is their own sun.  If the orbits of two stars clash, then one star has deviated from its true orbit and is infringing on the space of the other.
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==Free Will in Lonelygirl15==
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[[Bree's parents]] first met when her [[Elizabeth Avery|mother]] stepped into a discussion that her [[Drew Avery|Bree's father]] was having with a friend about the play [[Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead]].<ref name=parents>Bree's video [[How My Parents Met]]</ref> [[Elizabeth Avery|Bree's mother]] believed so passionately in free will, that she felt compelled to walk over to the man who was saying that determinism was the theme of the play ([[Drew Avery|Bree's father]]) and tell him that he was completely wrong.
  
There is also the fact that a person only has free will if that person is a King.  A King is not only willing to act, but to think out his actions and accept the responsibility for them. One who is mastered by consequences is not a King, but a slave.  "Therefore the kings of the earth shall be Kings for ever: the slaves shall serve."  So, it is no wonder that the Book of the Law states "this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world."
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On other occasions, it has been strongly implied that [[Bree]] had to do the [[Ceremony]] out of her own, free will, no matter what happens: Even after Bree was [[Psychological Torture|kidnapped and drugged]], the Order didn't just force her to do the Ceremony, but tried to "persuade" her to do it out of her own free will. Another indicator is [[Lying Bastards|an overheard phone call]] [[Alex]] had, in which she says about the same incident: "[...] I do care because it's a violation of free will and you know... I know my principles, do you want me to recite them for you? [...]".
  
[[Bree's parents]] first met when her [[Bree's parents|mother]] stepped into a discussion that her [[Bree's parents#Father|Bree's father]] was having with a friend about the play [[Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead]].<ref name=parents>Bree's video [[How My Parents Met]]</ref>  [[Bree's parents|Bree's mother]] believed so passionately in free will, that she felt compelled to walk over to the man who was saying that determinism was the theme of the play ([[Bree's parents#Father|Bree's father]]) and tell him that he was completely wrong.<ref name = parents/>  It is likely that free will will continue to develop as a theme in the [[lonelygirl15 (production) | lonelygirl15 series]].
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In an earlier incident, OpAphid had closed in on Jonas's home, and kidnapped [[Daniel]] straight from the town's bowling alley - yet, instead of saying "Do the Ceremony or he dies!", they [[Miss Me?|drugged and brainwashed Daniel]] to persuade Bree to do the Ceremony.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
{{Bree's religion}}
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{{clr}}
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{{The Order}}
  
[[Category:Meta-discussion]]
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[[Category:The Order]]
[[Category:Speculation about religion]]
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Latest revision as of 15:29, 6 April 2009

Free will is a topic that has been addressed in several ways throughout the Lonelygirl15 series. The question of free will has been a central issue since the beginning of philosophical thought.<ref name=Free>Wikipedia article on Free Will</ref>

Aleister Crowley

Picture of Aleister Crowley in Bree's room

The first indication that Free Will might become an issue in the series was a picture of Aleister Crowley, a champion of free will, hanging on a wall in Bree's room, as part of some sort of shrine.

Crowley's beliefs – the "Rights of Man" – were outlined most popularly in his text "Liber Oz"<ref>Hermetic.com article on Liber Oz</ref>; in it, he makes clear he does not believe in absolute freedom, but rather, that the freedom of one ends in the freedom of another: One must not use his own freedom to restrict someone else's. Most importantly, he also advocated that for such cases, laws and penalties should be in place. He called this the Law of Thelema.

The Law of Thelema

Unicursal tiny.gif

The free will espoused by Thelema (θέλημα) is a free will to act according to your True Will. As it states in the Book of the Law, "Thou hast no right but to do thy will.". An interesting argument following this is that this principle actually forbids many things you might want to do - committing a crime, for example, or simple health-damaging acts like smoking. Because, as the reasoning goes, these acts, be it by leading to persecution or damage to one's health, restrict the individual's ability to act in fullness, and, as such, violate his own free will by disallowing him to do whatever he wants. (In other words: One is not allowed to restrict any person's freedom; since heavy smoking would restrict a person's ability to breathe freely, for example, a smoker is essentially restricting his own freedom, and, as such, violating the Law of Thelema by giving in to his desire to smoke.)

This interpretation is interesting as it might be the reasoning behind Bree's diet - making sure she's truly following and embracing her True Will, not violating it by health-damaging foods.

Thelematic world view

The Free Will as envisioned in Thelema is not anarchy, as it is not without law – each individual is bound to his own True Will and to developing it by experience. It is acknowledged by the Book that this will lead to conflict ("As brothers fight ye!"), however, according to the teachings, wherever the wills of two clash, one must be wrong.

In this context, another quote from the Book is interesting – "If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him.". A "King", according to Thelema, is someone who is not only willing to act, but thinking out his actions and accepting responsibility for them as well. One who is mastered by consequences is not a King, but a slave. The Book states "Therefore the kings of the earth shall be Kings for ever: the slaves shall serve.", and makes clear: "this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world.".

Free Will in Lonelygirl15

Bree's parents first met when her mother stepped into a discussion that her Bree's father was having with a friend about the play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.<ref name=parents>Bree's video How My Parents Met</ref> Bree's mother believed so passionately in free will, that she felt compelled to walk over to the man who was saying that determinism was the theme of the play (Bree's father) and tell him that he was completely wrong.

On other occasions, it has been strongly implied that Bree had to do the Ceremony out of her own, free will, no matter what happens: Even after Bree was kidnapped and drugged, the Order didn't just force her to do the Ceremony, but tried to "persuade" her to do it out of her own free will. Another indicator is an overheard phone call Alex had, in which she says about the same incident: "[...] I do care because it's a violation of free will and you know... I know my principles, do you want me to recite them for you? [...]".

In an earlier incident, OpAphid had closed in on Jonas's home, and kidnapped Daniel straight from the town's bowling alley - yet, instead of saying "Do the Ceremony or he dies!", they drugged and brainwashed Daniel to persuade Bree to do the Ceremony.

References

<references/>


The Order of Denderah
Branches Hymn of One · Operation APHID · SHENtek
Covers Lullaby Project · Wyman Foundation · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Hart Study · Bio-Therapy Report LLC · Sacred Spirit · St. Grinstead
People Aleister Crowley · Elders · Shadows · Deacons · Seekers · Helpers · Watchers · Thugs · Assassins
Locations Adak Island · An Order boat · An Order hospital · Alcombe Antiques · The Cowboy's Ranch · The Human Ransom Location · La Crete · Lucy's vacant building · The Lullaby Project · The Lullaby Project Center · The Order Facility · Order HQ · Pleasant Manor · Porter's hospital · Precious Blood bunker · Recruitment Centers · Sacred Spirit · Salinas Campaign Headquarters · S.S. Hathor's Song · St. Grinstead · Topanga Canyon · Verdus Pharmaceuticals · Wickenburg · Zavalla
The Ceremony Trait positive · Free will · Injections · Enochian · Iron pills