Thank you for the generous response :) I think it makes sense, and yes it helps. To further clarify my understanding:
So Stoics believe "we act freely and are responsible for what we do because our actions are expressions of our desires and beliefs and not compelled from outside."
But if they also believe in determinism, wouldn't a Stoic concede that my desires and beliefs are exactly and deterministically caused by prior events and in this sense are in fact compelled or determined (before I was even born)?
As an aside, I think I realise where misunderstanding might stem from - when I think of doing something freely, the definition that comes to mind is exactly "metaphysically speaking, there were other ways the world could have gone from that point onward." :D
RE: Compatibilism
Thank you for the generous response :) I think it makes sense, and yes it helps. To further clarify my understanding:
So Stoics believe "we act freely and are responsible for what we do because our actions are expressions of our desires and beliefs and not compelled from outside."
But if they also believe in determinism, wouldn't a Stoic concede that my desires and beliefs are exactly and deterministically caused by prior events and in this sense are in fact compelled or determined (before I was even born)?
As an aside, I think I realise where misunderstanding might stem from - when I think of doing something freely, the definition that comes to mind is exactly "metaphysically speaking, there were other ways the world could have gone from that point onward." :D