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Question: What are the arguments in favour of free will!?
Personally, it seems logical to me that free will doesn't exist, because of causality: in short, every one of our "decisions" is caused by our environments and the state of our brains!.
Yet, the majority of people seem to be resistant to this idea!. I find it hard to believe that everyone who believes in free will is being illogical, so there must be some positive, logical reason to believe that free will exists (other than "it really feels like it exists")!.
If you think that free will exists, I'm interested to hear why!. If possible, I'd prefer if you'd avoid using words like "soul" or "spirit", but I'll try to be open-minded!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The newest modern science is giving us evidence of free will!.
1!. All e-coli bacteria are genetically identical "clones" of each other!. And yet, laboratory tests show that they individually develop or evolve different behaviors, viral immunities, and strategies for survival!. It might be strange to talk about the "behaviors" of simple mono celled bacteria, but they have found and investigated such matters in the laboratory!.
2!. The mathematics of chaos, complexity and the "butterfly effect" show us that in complex systems like weather and human personality and social interactions, the results are NOT predictable based on simple concepts of causality, i!.e!. If A, then B!. Or even : If A + B, then = C!. When practically infinite numbers of variables, in large numbers, combine to make reality (which is really the state of everything in fact), then our ideas of causality break down and Lucretius's idea of "atoms wiggling just a little bit in their fall through the ether by physical forces" gains some credence!.
3!. Free will and causality are entirely different from PREDICTABILITY!. Whether I volitionally do something, or I am forced to do something by the interplay of my inner conditioned responses and logic and external circumstances, in NEITHER event will anyone be able to predict the outcome, except in the very short run!. In the long run, meaning an unreplicable experiment if you speak that way, the future is unknown regardless of what and how it is caused by!.
4!. In summary, quantum physics, which has added to and supplemented Newtonian physics, provides room and reason for Free Will!. It is only in a Newtonian, clockwork universe, that it conceptually seems as though everything has a cause!. And remember, that our ideas of causality themselves are apparently built-into our minds, as are space, time, matter and energy, according to the imperatives of consciousness discussed by Immanual Kant in his "Critique of Pure Reason"!.
So those who talk of some power of choice are not totally ignorant dummies!. There is room and reason to allow for some subtle force which mediates and influences the otherwise blind mechanical forces of "cause and effect"!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
This is my favorite argument:
"!.!.!.that which you call “free will” is your mind’s freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character!."
Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual, 127!.
Without "causality" (i!.e!., existence) there is nothing to think about!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Free Will - the ability to have done otherwise if chosen
If there is no such thing as Free Will, can we be held morally responsible for our actions!?
I am not a true beliver of Free Will, but I hope this is along the lines of what you were looking for!.
We all have predetermined belifes and morals!. I believe it is these that we base our decisions on!. Howerver, we DO have the use of Free Will in this process!.
eg: Lets say you love apple pie!. Every night you are offered apple or cherry pie for desert!. Because of you predispostion for apple pie naturally pick it over cherry!.
The point Im trying to make is that you have the OPTION to choose cherry!. One day day you might say "I think I will have cherry pie tonight for a change"!. - An example of Free Will is it not!?
PeaceWww@QuestionHome@Com
Free will is nothing more or anything less!?! Than the choices you make in your life!?! The environment!? No!?! Our minds! Yes!?! You can feed your mind just like a muscle! You can make it as strong as you want!? If your mind is strong!. Your choices that God bestowed free will upon, will, bestow only it's best choice!?! If!? One needs to make a choice!? Ever!?! For a strong mind, if ever, has to make a choice!?! For a strong mind knows there is only one answer to every one question!?!Www@QuestionHome@Com
without freewill how would we be able to decipher our causality or make decisions we wouldn't be thinking we would be acting and then would we be just thinking we were acting!? Thats how we get to is this; life or just a dream and what we think are dreams are really our livesWww@QuestionHome@Com
I think freewill exists and who adapts it become villains!.Www@QuestionHome@Com