Free will aside, don't we have choice?

Question

Debate over free will goes on forever it seems. But with all the qualifications imposed by culture, up-bringinging, etc, don't we still have choice available, and making our choices acquire responsibility for the outcomes - for ourselves and others. Or do we not have choice -- or responsibility.

Answer 1

one always has a choice no matter how or where or when they were brought up. the only problem is most people aren't smart/strong enough to stand up to whatever traditions, religions, opinions, ways of life they've been raised in and prefer to go along with the herd rather than pick their own course. it is easier that way. only a handful of us posess the intellect to realise we have a choice and the strength to go against the grain in deciding to chose differently than the herd.

Answer 2

The implications of choice which you set forth are correct:
With choice, consequences are justified by human motive;
free will
Without choice, consequences are pure causality;
determinant

Regardless of free will, people are responsible for their
actions. People prefer to feel that they are doing the right
thing, and without free will there wouldn't be a right or
wrong, only a determined causality.

In my opinion, choice requires free will. Perhaps the debate
in choice arises from an analogy, consider going to a
restaurant. The restaurant has a menu with 10 choices
of supper meals. If I only consider the 10 choices then
I don't need free will because there is a most determinant
choice; the choice which is the meal which will provide
my body with the most appropriate essential minerals
and nutrients at the present time of the ordering. However,
I already made a choice: the choice to eat at the restaurant.
I can make another choice, to leave and go eat at a different
restaurant which might provide a better selection of meals(
by the same mineral and nutrient standard). Therefore,
the difference between choice with free will and choice
without free will is that choice with free will provides
infinite choices and choice without free will provides
finite choices. Determinism depends on finite, and of
that finite there is an optimal choice which begs the
question if there is an optimal choice is there really
any choice at all. With that in mind, we don't always select
the optimal choice(the deterministic choice). Therefore, we
must have free will.

Answer 3

Yes, we do have a choice. Like when you ask yourself: what do I wear today - is it the pink dress or the yellow one? What shall I order for lunch? What will I have for dessert? All these questions are answerable by you when you pick out your choice. The same thing holds true when you ask for decisions or options on what you would like to do with your life. It's nothing like free will but choices or options. Free will gives you the right to choose while making a choice is making your decision on something, it's your call.

Answer 4

we almost always have a choice; however and unfortunately most of us live a life based in fear. and because of that we either fear making a decision or we make the wrong choice.

man is condemned to be free
-Sartre

Answer 5

Well all depends on your beliefs if you go by the bible it says that the lord knows everything past present even FUTURE if this is true then are we are destin to be what he sees fo us in the future he knows what we are gona eat when were gona get angry so depends on your personal beleifs

Answer 6

Choice is free will, and we have lots of it as soon as we learn the lessons that seem to be impeeding us.