Everyone, whats your view on freewill?

Question

I already asked this on the philosophy forum but I would like to open this to everyone on religion/spirituality. Hopefully I can get responses from a few beliefs.

I know views on this vary within the Atheistic world view and I would like to hear the different opinions of the existence of freewill. I personally do not believe in freewill. I think our consciousnesses are a product of our environment and the chemical reactions that occur in our brains. The idea of freewill has evolved to give animals a feeling of individuality. Because of this, I think, it is necessary to accept this feeling of free will but to also realize that freewill, as in the definition (Done of one's own accord; voluntary) is false.

Answer 1

So, you could not help but ask this question, heh?

If we do not have freewill this question and its answers are tautological because the keystrokes are all deterministic. So I am wondering why you are bothering to ask the question. You could not help yourself, right?

More significant, if we do not have free will, there is no right or wrong. In this case, Hitler was not evil, Hitler was a deterministic event.

Although you did not define "environment", it is not relevant since if there exists an entity in the "environment" with freewill we still remain puppets without freewill in your view.

Answer 2

I would say that having free will is an illusion. We think that we make choices but is that correct.

Just imagine this--- You went for a drink and were unable to decide whether to have tea or coffee. You keep pondering and thinking what and suddenly something clicks. ah, it would be tea.

It is then translated by the mind as " I decide to have tea". But it was actually a sudden click a response within you that was done.
The decision had come to you . not made by you.

About the rapes and murders you ask. I would say that it is the best form of forgiveness, to see that no one was wrong . everything happened as it was supposed to have happened.
So, there is an automatic happening of forgiveness and there wont be any guilt.

But , then even my thoughts about this are just appearing .

Every blade of grass in the universe affects even the most distant star. Nothing can be talked about in isolation and none of the results or events are traceable to a certain specific cause. There are innumerable causes for every event.

That's what I think.

bye,
faraz ahmed
author of spirituality blog.
http://farazblog.blogspot.com

Answer 3

I will study your view some more of line. In my opinion it is a good question and one that should be thought of carefully.

For now my view is that we have a totally controlled will to make the decision that our pure innate nature direct us to make. I see it as by design by the one who assembled and formed each and every unit of humankind to fulfill a designed purpose and plan. However within this design I do see one free will option or choice that each and every unit of humankind will make and that is a choice.

My view is I guess different from most for whenever I do discuss it I am told that I am saying that humankind is just a robot which is programmed. Well maybe that is one idea to think about.

In my view each has a control within that places them into a catagory of doing and acting in decisions and choices that all will leave them in the kingdom of darkness eternally. I see this because the forefather Mr Adam of the Mr Adam family did make such a choice. Thus all his offfspring are bound to this state and faced with death. However in this darkness one can see that there is a light available for a light cvan be easily seen from the darkness.

I see the only true free will option is to either remain in the darkness forever or to request a new "chip" be installed that will change one to be able to pass to the light kingdom at the designed time or sequesnce. IN the Christian religion this factor is seen as a rebirth or born from above experience.

I will not go into details here, but for me in my view that is the only actual free will choice of an option the offspring of Mr Adam have in this existence.

Thanks for the question and I will still give your point more consideration and the point made by DuckPhup. I find his answer a good answer in logic and reasoning.

Do have a good day and smile a lot.

Answer 4

So the person that rapes and murders doesn't have freewill. At anytime I may have a chemical reaction to "go postal"? I don't think so. Animals that live solely be instinct all build the same houses, dens, nests according to what there species calls for.

It is up to us to build and take care of what we have. We think and reason, beyond the need to feed a herd.

I have a spirit , a soul, and a body. It is my choice to use it how I believe is best. I may have to live with consequences but I am responsible.

Answer 5

If you do not believe in freewill, then you believe that everything that every human does is involutary? Like a sneeze or a blink? When I go to pick out my clothes in the morning, I very much have control over what I decide to wear. I decide when I am going to wake up. I decided what I am going to eat for the day. I decide whether or not I want to get online and answer questions on this forum... none of these actions were involuntary.

If I were you, I wouldn't question it, I would be thankful that there is a God that loved you enough to give you a brain to produce those chemical reactions... I would hate to know what it was like to think that I had absolutely no control over what I did...

Answer 6

understanding the destiny does not contradict the freewill of judgements contained in the destiny. If God were to play on those possibilities for the great element about folk, then there would not be freewill. the final analysis is that given regardless of situations you've, you're nonetheless the only making possibilities interior those situations, sturdy or undesirable.

Answer 7

My view is that God gave us freewill. We have the choice to do the things that we may. It is God's hope that we use this freewill to be happy and to live in His path.
He also gave us free will with an agreement from the Devil. This is the Devil's way to try and tempt us with as many things as he can to get us to do his will.
God gave us the choice and it is up to us what we want to do with that.

Answer 8

I can jump off of a bridge if I choose to right now. I can go buy some cheese and eat it right now, if I choose to. Was this predicated, or even dictated, by some environmental, hormonal, neurochemical process in my brain? Was it predetermined by some ancient prophecy, or the will of a divine being?

This is a discussion about constraints, from various levels: socially, personally, physically/biologically, spiritually, etc. We all have constraints, some more than others. A quadriplegic is going to have a harder time buying cheese than me, but it is up to him or her to pursue the cheese acquisition.

I would expect that agnostics and atheists have a stronger sense of free will than their religious counterparts.

Answer 9

hello:}
FREE will to me is that we get to CHOOSE what we think ,even people born into poverty and certain cultures can still make some sort of choices about their life ....and certainly about their thinking .
it doesnt matter if your presented with two options ,kill yourself or kill your best friend, free will is deciding which one your going to do .....................if we believed everything was already determined or that we had no choice ,no say in our own life ,or could not decide anything for our selves but dependent on circumstance and enviroment then we would be like the wonderful dog or cat we own ,,,,,we would be happy and not worry because hey it isnt up to us is it .....
also free will is the right to accept a God and become a companion to him/her .
no one will MAKE you,, it is up to you what you really believe .
peggy

Answer 10

From a Christian point of view, I believe freewill is the capability given to us to choose right or wrong. If we didn't have freewill, we would be programmed to choose right all the time. We would be programmed to follow God, but it wouldn't be love. Because God wants our love, he gave us the capability to choose him or choose the world.