Do you think Free will an illusion?

Question

I see the concept of choice based on higher causing, i mean it's like a tugged war, the side with the stronger force wins and so the rope goes to that side, it would be illogical for the side with the weaker force to win. Comparing this to decision making... When we make a choice, we have many reasons for and against it, if both causes, or sides of the decision (to do it or not) are quite equal than you have a dilema, if one side of the war is much stronger than the other, than that side will win quicker and easier, just like in a decision... Do you want to die... straight away you would probably say yes because theres a much higher causing for you to want to live, You might not understand me. You need to think.

Answer 1

You may want to consider reading "The Illusion of Conscious Will" by Daniel M. Wegner. It's very interesting, in that experiments were done by using various methods to show that we are environmental products, void of conscious will.

Answer 2

Free will is not an illusion. Remember, Man is the animal of realities and an entity of possibility. We are not machines, therefore cannot be evaluated by quantities and degrees of force (as you demonstrated with your tug of war analogy). Man is a being of quality and quantity. Just because the barbarian is very strong doesn't mean the smart one will lose. Sure enough, the smart one would use his creativity to utilize the applications of force according to the topology of the surface or even develop a machine or means to increase his own strength 30 fold.

Remember that we humans have something known as foresight. With that, most people can differentiate between an instantaneous catharsis and an accumulated joy so to speak. Yet, most would choose the catharsis since it "seems" stronger AT THE MOMENT, not realizing that it would sizzle as days go by. This foresight is part of what we call consciousness, therefore universal. But to make it clear, ones conscience may choose the lesser or the greater due to enhance ones own individuality.

Thus, it matters not on how much of the force is applied, as with quantity, but HOW the force is applied, which is Quality. And since an object's quality is determined subjectively, only the individuals choice may suffice. In the end, free choice exists.

Answer 3

Gee Dec J. I agree that it is illogical to side with the weaker force to win unless your siding with it makes the weaker force the stronger force. I agree that we usually make choices base on a lot of for and against reasons. However there is such a thing as a blind decision when both sides are equal, or when one does not want to weigh the pros and cons. Again, winning the one side or the other again depends on how we influence that side, if relationship to the opposing side, when we join it. I don't know of very many people who truly really want to die, as opposed to willing to sacrifice their lives for a greater cause, higher causing to live or not (like that makes sense). What I don't understand is , what is your question? What is your point?

Answer 4

I think I understand what you mean. I, for one, do not really believe in free will - I believe that we make decisions, but if put in the same situation time and time again, we'd always reach the same conclusion. We always choose what we see as the best course of action, for whatever reason. The decision making process is really just a complicated reaction to stimuli.

If we weren't just responding to various stimuli - that is, if "free will" were actually free - then that'd mean that we have some kind of control over our decisions outside of environmental conditions, which is to say that we'd need some sort of internal mechanism for decisionmaking that ISN'T dependent upon preexisting conditions (this is because, of course, preexisting conditions would guide your decision, and as long as something other than you is guiding your decision, it's not being made of your own free will). So basically you'd need to be putting energy into a decision that's not received from anywhere else. And all energy has to be from somewhere.

The idea of free will in a universe where everything is caused by something else is like the idea that you can have a clocktower filled with gears that move by their own energy, independent of one another. But gears don't move by themselves - they have no free will. They're influenced by their surrounding gears.

I don't know if that made any sense to you, but I hope it did.

Answer 5

I conceive of free will alot like the Schroedinger's cat postulate.
Free will is free until the event that determines the outcome. At that point, your will is defined.

As far as the influences that determine choice, one could say that the forces at work produce the outcome independent of 'choice' because the choice is really just the conclusion of those influences.
Consider a pool table for instance. The process of choice is similar to the breaking of the rack at the beginning of the game. The collision of all the balls on the table is determined by the angle, force, rotation of the cue ball etc. as it strikes the rest. The final position of all the balls on the table is the conclusion of the interaction of the the factors that caused it.

While I think that this example is logical and rational, it lacks one important quality for the argument of fixed will. It does not allow for purely inventive thought. I don't know of anyone that can say for certain that inventive thought is 100% a product of the knowledge and experiences of our lives. And in my opinion, as long as that is the case, free will MUST exist.

Answer 6

In the context you've given, free will is not an illusion, because you can disobey your own decision making ability. You can choose to make a mistake. For example: there was a bright young man, who against his best interest, personal desires, and judgment, shot his grandmother dead, because "I wanted to know what it would feel like." It is the rare instance of free radical decision making with clear parameters that defines free will in human, separating us from the infinitely bound will of a computer.

I hope this helps. However I think you are misunderstanding the concept of will, and in reality it is both real and an illusion cause by the divine nature of physical parameter. In other words one source reality through subjective consciousness.

Answer 7

Any change you make now or in the future effects the universe from what it would've been had you not made a change. Have you heard of the butterfly effect....even small object will impact the future.

Aside from scientific considerations, it does not make common sense that the decision of whether i go for a walk this afternoon was predetermined a millesecond after the Big Bang....sorry.

Answer 8

I've only been researching this for a while and it remains very inconclusive for me, but so far . . .

I think that we do have some free will. I don't believe the determinist when he/she says "It couldn't have happened any other way". Choice entails possibilities: we are faced with them when we make a choice . . . we KNOW that we COULD take road A, and that we COULD take road B. If we take road A, then we could not have taken road B? To say that is senseless!

Answer 9

As the Teutofarians saids, Humans are the only one in the solar system with the idea of freewill.

Answer 10

No. Nothing is predetermined and anything can happen, depending on the circumstances at the time.