Free Will (not Willy)...

Do We REALLY Have Free Will…

Like the bolded statement above says -- do we really have free will.., or is everything we do already been predetermined by past events -- predestined by fate or by physical laws… Of course, we all like to believe we are, each one of us, in control of our own fate -- our destiny.., but is that all it is -- a belief. Science, at least what it knows about free will, says different… As far as they are concerned all human behavior can be explained by the laws of cause and effect. By studying the brain, they can see that the brain actually responds before we are consciously aware of the decision we are about to make -- the brain already made it for us based on past events and our environment.

They have concluded that since we are an evolved species, that our mental faculties (intelligence) must be hereditary -- that our ability to choose our fate is not free, but depends on our biological inheritance. All of our hopes, thoughts, memories and dreams all come down to the firing of a few neurons in our brain.

WTF..? That's KOOKY talk.., of course we all have free will -- or do we just BELIEVE we do… And that if we didn't believe that.., what would be the purpose of life -- if it was all predetermined already… There have even been studies done, that supposedly show, that when people don't believe they have free will.., they are not as nice -- that they are less likely to help out another human being… That by believing everything has already been predetermined, life has less meaning -- we are less creative, unwilling to learn from our past mistakes, we conform easier and our academic performance even suffers.

Embracing a deterministic view like this, is like a double-edged sword -- we get to act more deplorably without the normal consequences to our morals.., and even if we do act honorably we get no credit for it because it was all predetermined anyway -- Im pretty sure that is what people call, crossing over to -- the dark side! By removing all responsibility or blame from our actions, humans can become downright scary.

Nietzsche went as far as to say that free will was a religious trick, that allowed us to judge and punish… And that without it societies would be doomed to a barbaric way of life -- good thing the belief in free will comes natural to us.., or is it… By believing in free will, we believe that when someone does something horrific to us or to society in general we may choose to hate them for it -- but if whatever horrible thing they did was already destined to happen, there would be no reason to hate.

When we look at the absence of free will singularly, it sounds pretty dark -- but if we look at the bigger picture and remove "the self" from the equation.., is possible that without free will, we might be more compassionate as a species -- without judgements, punishment and hatred. Would we be more willing to look and react to things more rationally...The greatest minds that have walked this planet have debated this very issue and still do, today…

That's right, as of our present day, there is no consensus as to whether or not -- we have free will (and many of those great minds believe we don't). There are those that believe no matter what we do, we did because they were predestined.., then there are those that believe we are sole architects of our lives. But surely, there must be a little give and take -- yes, we are a product of of our heredity, qualities we embody passed down to us from our ancestors.., but as we evolved -- physically, mentally and yes, spiritually.., we incorporated all of this, including our environment into our decision making. Just because things were predetermined doesn't mean we can't come up with things to remedy a bad situation, by considering more than one option -- evolving.

Then of course, there are things we can't see, things science can't see -- the soul… After all, we don't do things based on the fact that we have free will, we do them because we have a desire to them -- because we want too… Fully digesting and wrapping our heads around a world where we don't have free will may seem apocalyptic.., but is that just the drama queen in all of us rearing it's ugly head… We do things, certain things -- to feel fulfilled, to be happy.., and if believing in free will makes that happen.., does it even matter if free will actually exists… Who cares if giving till it hurts doesn't garner any praise from the world around you -- it still made you feel good, it strengthens and fulfills the unseen parts of this world -- the soul.

As this debate over free will continues, and it will -- it seems pretty simple to most, that free will does exist, science or no science.., we experience it everyday, in everything we do -- from choosing what pair of shoes to wear, to who we decide to marry… And as we continue to evolve (fingers crossed) and our understanding of things both physical and not, evolve along with us, maybe one day there will be a definitive answer to this long debated topic… But for now, if free will is nothing more than a belief -- so be it!


Image Source: 1