Do we have a "free will"?

Answer 1

Human beings, as well as animals and inanimate events have the ability to break the chains of strict causality postulated by Determinism. We are thus free to influence our affairs and our destiny. In changing our future from what it would have been without the interaction triggered by our free will, we are changing the very universe of which we are an integral part.

With the intervention of free will, our future, and thus the future of the universe, will follow a path different from the path it would have pursued without our intervention.

In addition to scientific considerations, common sense insists that Free Will exists. Who would deny that we have Free Will when we put one foot in front of the other and decide, of our own volition, of our own Free Will, to go for a walk or not go for a walk? It is clearly irrational to believe that a chain of causality at the time of the Big Bang determines if we go for a walk this afternoon, or not.

Answer 2

Free will, it all depends on how you look at it, if free will for you is having the ability to chose then yes, because we as humans learn or are maybe born with the ability to reason. But as anything else no, for instance we only reason because its in our best interest to do so, if we dont then we die because of our bad decicions or as our basic instinct of reproduction dictates we fail in life because we cant pass on our genes. We never really act freely because behind every decision is either our experiences, our nature, our beliefs, or our circumstances and all of those (exept our genes that dictate how we act at birth) are not our own. If your religious and believe that your religion is the true religion then if you had free will you would say that you chose that religion right. So lets say your born on an island and your mother dies shortly after your born and by some luck you survive on your own on the deserted island would you freely chose that same religion when you were older. Or if the government took over and became really strict and the only way to survive would be to follow along, otherwise you would die, would you still follow your beliefs if it meant certain death. and whichever way you chose think about the real reason behind your choice.

From the moment of our births, we are acting on our genes and what we learn will keep us alive and since survival is not as difficult as it used to be our brains become filled with more complex things that to us mean survival.

Answer 3

Neuralize brings up very valid questions regarding "free will"; reactions are a sample of emotional responses that spring forth when provocation exist;...

We have more than free will, we have the very ability to manipulate and control and creat our very environment we exist in.

Neuralize stated that we respond to events and free will is questioned; this is hitting the nail on the head; your thoughts creat reality and expectations more than you think. It was said once to "turn the other cheek", what was meant is your reaction and how you view this is important; the one who slaps, slaps himself; seeing it this way will cause a much different reaction than anger; a lesson well taught.

The interpretations of historic documents, The Bible, are distorted by the perceptions of a people based on THIER beliefs at the time(s); in no way should one interpret in the same manner; read between the lines what was meant and ask questions and demand an answer that makes perfect sense in your time frame(s)...to agree to it otherwise is Dogma.

Think free, think openly. Your interpretations are as Valid as any "Prophet"...

Answer 4

I am going to guess that you want an argument supporting that we do not have free will, since most people assume, through "common knowledge" that we do.

I haven't studied or read on this subject, but I like to philosophize and question traditional beliefs. The more I have lived, the more I realize how outside factors effect our beliefs and our actions. If you know what buttons to press in people you can make them do anything, and believe anything. reality is only what we perceive, and words are the most powerful input in our reality. If people tell you that pigs are blue, then you will start to believe it, even if your own eyes contradict what they say. Generally, people believe what they are told, especially if they hear it on TV or read it on mainstream websites. So, in that regard, we act and think the way people expect us to, or else we would be considered "insane."

So, to conclude I will say I believe we may reach moments of clarity, occasionally, when we truly act of our own free will, but these moments are very rare, and the type of person that does it is somewhat rare also.

Answer 5

Thats a tough one. I could say no and point out that I can make you behave exactly as I want you too. If I want you to become angry, I need only provoke you and slap you. If I want you to be happy, all I need to do it give you fist fulls of cash, or something you would like (to be context specific). So where's the free will if people can be manipulated so easily? Is it really free if you react the same way every time? (i.e. becoming angry when something is not liked). This is being a slave to your biases of what you like and dislike, where is the free will here?

Answer 6

Cogito ergo sum. But also, if you think of all of our neurons interconnecting and decaying, then it seems like there could be an upper bound on the actions that we could take. Through chaos theory though, we are starting to see that there is a continuum here instead. That means infinite choices, which leads us to what we've suspected for a while, that we have free will.

Answer 7

The question is do we have free will. The answer is yes and no. While we do make descions and there is no apparent outside forces taht can control it otherwise, we must remember that our descions arent ours alone. we eat because were hungry and if we choose not to eat we must ask ourselves why? is it because we are on a diet because the world as we know it sees beauty as an anarexic model? or do we not have the ability to buy, and is that really us making that choice? if we give in to our desires are they really our desires or merely that which our body dictates for us to yearn? why do we smoke, because others told us not to and we like to rebel? why do we choose not to, because we saw a brother or father or mother die of cancer. what really influences our descions? if we arent allowed for such experiences, if things didnt happen in our lives in a certain dictated order would we have become addicted to drugs or run as a liberal or voted republican? exaclt how many of our descions arent influenced, shaped, molded, by our biological needs or enviormental influences.

Have you ever wondered why people think it great to be martyrs, to give their lives for other? is it really their descion or is it coem innane need to be like Jesus, to do what he, or rather society dictates is right.

Free will...I guess, maybe, but it is limited and very much shaped.

Answer 8

yes it does, and represents an individual power which unfortunately we give away to others WHO seems to be better, nicer, stronger , smarter,cutier than we are...then our own given free Will works against us in full...That is a grand drama for many...and it creates deep imbalance of a Power in general...Some becomes overpowered and another weak enough not to be able to live life....Those with power becomes addicted to it and like any addicts demand more of it ...those without cannot have a breath....Freedom of choice is only a small element of a Will which belongs to any each of us...Confusion comes from not having an idea what free Will is...It is a Will..that 's simple...with which magic people operating in countless of legends and fairy tales....It can be a magic while balanced within...In extremes it loses its magical power

Answer 9

In some cases, but in some we do not even though we were assigned that we do. For example when euthanasia comes in play, patients who wish to die from lethal injection are not being listened to. If we do have so called ''free will'' then why euthanasia is illegal?

Answer 10

Sure!
Just about as much as a grain of sand has in a pot of boiling water.