How can we have free will...?

Question

when god created our brains, the people's around us, and the environment thus creating our situation we are in thus creating how we sum up our situation and our past results to make a decision?

people don't seem to understand me..I think way too philosiphically sometimes...One day I am just gonna disappear. *poof* U all still don't understand cuz u say stuff like..

well, you can choose to murder or not..

Yea..but not if there is someone who created me.

That's why I don't believe in tht stuff.

..I like choices.

Answer 1

man...........that was Deeeeeeeeeeep.

My cat even shook her head.

Way to go.
.

Answer 2

I hear this question a lot. It's due to the idea that free will requires no external stimuli. However, free will is simply the ability to make a choice. Given any situation, you have a choice. Whether the options seem reasonable or not is a matter of who is in the situation. For example, let's say a couple is faced with a life threatening danger and have several options. The first option is for one to sacrifice himself/herself so the other may live. Now, in this situation, this strategy has the best chance of saving a life (let's say an 80% chance of success). Option 2 is that they both try to escape. The situation indicates that there is a 70% chance of failure, resulting in both dying. Option three is to split up, yielding an 80% chance of one surviving. Now, with that situation, different couples would have different ideas. One might choose the "sacrifice him/herself" option, a different couple might try the both escape option, and yet another may try the split up option. This is their choice, which is determined by them, based on their experiences, emotions and various other factors. The choice is still theirs, but that doesn't mean that they will not choose a certain way based on their pasts.

Answer 3

It totally agree with you. I have though studied intensely the human brain, behavior, processes and so on. Phineas Gage was a classic example given to many psychology students of the biological factors of behavior. In 1848 a construction worker named Phineas Gage had a 3’7 piece of iron blown through his head. Although he recovered, his previous easygoing, kind, and respectful personality change into a rude, irresponsible, new one. He in fact was no longer ‘Phineas Gage.’ This is the perfect example of the impact of the physical brain and the non-existence of free will. Free will is an illusion created by our conscious brains. Besides genetics, there are certain determinants to our behavior; there are conscious behaviors and unconscious ones. Conscious behaviors are actions that we are aware of. The decision making processes however are beyond our undoing and comprehending. We are only a window into the brain that is our great determiner, and it creates the illusion that we had a part in the decision. In reality, the can't be a free will because their is no I. There is no singular structure in the brain that acts as the control room. There is no conscious 'you' that hits the execute button to perform an action. Our brains carry out their functions based on many factors, taking into consideration what we consciously see as our input. In fact, the brain decides even what it wants you to see. You notice that there are thousands of things going on around you, but you only notice a select few? What makes you select those few? Although the brain is mostly unknown, we have discovered the functions it performs. And as you said common sense will lead anybody to realize that free will is not so free when it comes to a lifetime of experience, genes, and environment.

Answer 4

Really? And since this is what you believe, then this must be how you were raised to believe. Of course I could be wrong in that assumption, but you, yourself, are the one who states you are the end product of the people you grew up with and your environment. I have my doubts that the statement you made is fully correct, and I furthermore believe you do have the free will to believe whatever you want. Although your past experiences may have prepared you to make decisions, the truth is they are still your decisions. Choices, personal choices, which are as different from everyone else's, just as your fingerprints and DNA are also.

Answer 5

God created us, but we make our decisions. Look at the Bible, you will be able to read about all the decisions that Abraham and Isaac and all the others made, but you did nothing to influence there decisions, they had free will in every decision they made. God sees us the same way, He has the unwritten parts of the Bible in His hands that have our lives in it. He is not held down by time, so He is all knowing of the decisions that we will make, the only interference He makes is in providing a way out if we take a bad turn. Praise God for being so loving to us.

Answer 6

I'm an atheist - but "free will" is one of the questions I have struggled with also. The religions of the world say we have it - and that it is part of God's plan - but that seems like a contradiction in terms. It's an oxymoron at best, and at worst is a downright deception.

If God gave free will to the human race - then consider who has it - and who doesn't.

All the murderers, rapists, drug dealers, pedophiles - all of these low life scum have free will. NOT A SINGLE DAMNED ONE OF THEIR VICTIMS HAVE IT. Not a single damned one of them "asked" for any of the things that were done to them, by criminals with free will.

If God only gave free will to THESE low life scum - AND NONE WHATSOEVER TO THEIR VICTIMS - then God himself is no better than a murderer, rapist, drug dealer, or pedophile. And considering the number of Catholic priests out there? Maybe God HIMSELF is a pedophile! And if he isn't? Then more than likely? The Pope surely is!

It makes me glad I was never a Catholic.

And it makes me even more glad that I gave up superstition altogether - and became an atheist.

Answer 7

Chaos. Sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Just like we can't predict specific weather beyond a couple of days, God couldn't predict your thoughts from 6 thousand years ago. He set up guidelines to follow, built the machinery, but it is up to you to follow the path which can be creative (like God's 'image'). The image of God is the Net Creator: he created everything from Nothing. You only have to create more usefulness than you consume in resources to be a Net Creator for the future.

Answer 8

We may have been created under certain conditions but that does not negate the fact that we are free-willed and self-determined; meaning that we make our own choices and determine our own outcomes in life by virtue of those choices.

In any event, God didnt want a bunch of mindless robots walking around doing what he designed them to do without the capacity to choose. (thats what animals are for) God wanted to be chosen by us and everytime one of us does, his heart is warmed and all of Heaven rejoices!

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. -Luke 15:7

Answer 9

You make a decision based on the information that is in your head in each moment. Obviously, the information that you have now leads to one conclusion only. Therefore, there is no free will. If you start to make one decision, then change your mind, that is because that is what the information in your head in each moment leads you to do that. You have no other choice with the information presently in your head, so it is clear that there is no free will.

I had to say what I just said because that is the information presently in my head. I had no choice in the matter.

Answer 10

Free will is an illusion, but that doesn't matter. You could say we have virtual-free-will, as the accumulation of various environmental, biological, genetic, and psychological factors which determine our decisions/acitions are, in fact, us.

This is why zen Buddhists say that there is no "self" as we dillude ourselves into believing, yet with this awareness they promote mindfulness not Nihilism

Answer 11

There is free will but not action. We can always think what we want but there are social and societal standards that govern our actions. Our actions must conform with existing laws (are they legal? decent? etc.) and other commonly acceptable measures (such as customs, traditions, mores). And then there are those lessons we've learned in our past experiences and those of others. If all nonconformist thinkers are given free rein in their actions as well, we'd have anarchy.