I understand the concept of freewill and I'm about 50-50 that it exists, leaning more and more towards freewill being an illusion with each passing day.
I have a hard time connecting the dots between the "big bang", a supposedly "mindless" or "choice-less" event of pure energy, sending energy fragments that we call "elements" out into a universe, all apparently following mathematical formulas (physics and chemistry), to this point in space-time where I'm supposed to believe that choice has been born with consciousness.
The more I ponder it, the more it makes sense to me that the contents of my mind and the movements of my body are influenced purely by the complex formulas that were inherent in the pure energy prior to and during the big bang; that no "new influencer" called freewill ever entered the picture at any point along the evolution (expansion) of the universe.
Now, it's obvious that there's an "apparent freewill", the real sense of having choices and thinking/ feeling out of our own volition, but how can we, in our admittedly limited state of knowledge, know for certain the real cause or driver of our thoughts and actions?
Does a hydrogen atom get to decide the position of its single electron? Does it have a choice whether it forms a covalent bond with another hydrogen atom and an oxygen atom to form water?
Quite frankly, I don't know. Maybe all atoms have consciousness just like us. But even that isn't enough to prove freewill. Maybe they only have the illusion of freewill, just like the more complex molecular structures that are humans.
I think you do know. You just find the question incredibly interesting. As do I. Still, the fact remains that you're trying to convince a human being and not a hydrogen atom. So, your own actions concede to the likelihood of free will. As does the original post. Don't get me wrong, its amazing to consider how many factors can influence a single momentary decision.
No, I don't know. How could I know?
What do you know? I mean, seriously. Who were you before you were born? Were you trillions of "lifeless" atoms? What or where are you going to be after you die?
Now, from this foundation of having not the slightest clue about how to even begin to answer these questions we're going to try to ascertain whether we have freewill? People are arguing back and forth about gods and God and all kinds of wanky ideas -- it should be clear that we're all lost on this topic. We have our religious freaks that "know" God exists and that He will save us, then the science freaks that "know" God doesn't exist and are certain that death will go down like ________.
No...just. no.
Admit it. Nobody knows a damn thing about any of this, we just want to convince ourselves that we do because knowing gives us a sense of comfort. Well, I don't want comfort, I want reality.
All of these arguments are old and have been rehashed over and over again in all forms of media, literature and conversation. Ultimately we all have to come up with the answer that allows up to sleep at night or that drives to the asylum. For me personally there is no question that we have free will. The reason we have it may be another question entirely. Maybe, as some have speculated, we were brought into existence as a way for the universe to experience emotion. Maybe the ancient aliens designed our organic computers (brains) in these animal shells as an experiment or a place to transfer their consciousness (which is why some people can see past lives). HOW we came into existence was not of our doing or choice. How we DECIDE to live our lives is exactly our choice. More and more the government is trying to take away or limit the available choices. This is the purpose of establishing the class system and then setting up laws to ensure absolute obedience to authority. Soon they will want to start DNA testing to decide genetic predispositions for attitude and behavior so they can sort our children into the jobs that they need filled and dispose of the ones not fit for a future society.
We have to believe in free will because that is what gives us the power to change and grow. A guy can overcome his addictions because he CHOOSES to do so. His body and all other influencing factors demand the addiction but through the effort of HIS WILL. HIS ability to CHOOSE he can gain control and power over his body. It's not easy but it can be done because he has the ability to choose.
I disagree. We don't need an answer and we can't have one.
I admit that I know essentially nothing about the true nature of reality and I sleep like a baby at night.
And, don't get me wrong, becoming a nihilist and apathetic over affirming to ourselves that we're powerless is a self-defeating and stupid thing to do to oneself. By every means, if you feel you have power to do something positive in your life, DO IT!
Yes, go with the flow of feeling like you're in control. I'm not saying that we should act as if we're leafs in the wind. All I'm saying is whether you do something or not, although it may always feel like it's "you" doing it, it might have nothing to do with a "mind" and a "body". It might just be that you're energy in the position of carrying out this function of the complex equation of the big bang (universe), just as individual atoms go through their motions to make these "higher functions" possible.
If free will didn't exist why would you think it matters?
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@edb1984/re-kyriacos-re-alphacore-re-kyriacos-there-is-no-such-thing-as-free-will-2017617t13342608z-20170617t235642340z