Finally the philosophy class I'm taking is paying off.

I even know the answer to the tree-falls question, but I don't know if I should tell you and ruin the mystery...

Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcore
How about this then:
Is everything you do predetermined? I think it is, I think that you are what you are because of your history and the entire history of the universe before you. I belueve that your history determines what you will do, and that what you will do is thus predetermined, because you are YOU, YOU wouldn't do it in another way. But I don't want to call it fate, since it is still your choice, your choice may be influenced and made up beforehand because of what you are, but since YOU are stil making the choice, even though you couldn't make it in another way, it isn't fate, or destiny, it is just pure sense.
Let's make a little hypothetical example. You are on the TV-show "earn lot's of money". You see two boxes. One is transparent and you can see that there is $1000 in there, there's no way to see what's in the other. Now they let you know that either there is $1000000 in there or nothing. Your choice is to take either both boxes, and thus ensure the $1000, or only take the one that may or may not have $1000000.

Now you can either get nothing or $1000 or $1000000 or $1001000. Then you hear that a person who can predict the future has predicted what you will choose. This person's predictions are always true. If this person predicted that you will only take the box that may or may not hold $1000000 the show have put the money in there, but if it's been predicted that you will take both it's empty.

To spice it up you can let a close relative (or any other person you trust) look if there is something in there. (Let's also assume that they always tell the truth about what's in there.) Now what will your choice be?

Let's say that you hear that the money is in the box, isn't the best thing to choose both boxes since then you will get $1001000 instead of $1000000?
Let's say that you hear that there is no money in there, isn't the best choice to take both boxes since then you will at least get $1000?

It might be good to note that there is no magical way that they can remove or put money in the box, either the money is there or it isn't (and of course you know since your relative told you).

A problem that can make you go mad.

Have we a free will? Definitely a harder question than "if a tree falls and no one can hear it, does it make a sound".