I'm not sure this article even understands the concept of free will. Most of what it says about outside influences shaping our thought patterns and actions is correct. However, the term "free will" means that we can indeed make our own rational conclusions and forge our own path. As opposed to the opposite which is to be controlled in our EVERY thought and action. Where our ability to choose has been stripped from us and forces our every decision, thought or action to be put in the hands of ...whom....GOD? the government?
And we ARE accountable for our actions! As stated, I understand that there are a lot of potential influences that can cause a person to act a certain way but it is still a choice. We can CHOOSE to educate ourselves and gather new influences to make a better and more informed choices.
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
How can you do this if you admit that
"Most of what it says about outside influences shaping our thought patterns and actions is correct."
irrelevant. logical fallacy. begging the question.
Outside influences can indeed influence us but we then MAKE A CHOICE on how we will respond to those influences. That is free will. If there is no free will then who is the puppet master pulling the strings? God, fate, destiny?
This follows an old argument from bible studies (back when I was involved in that sort of thing). Free Will vs Predestination. Predestination follows the belief that God has already decided who is a part of the redeemed and will go to heaven. Because he can see all of time and already knows your actions and outcomes before you were born. However, even in the same scriptures they try to use to prove this falsehood it has examples of when God Himself was surprised by someone NOT doing as they should have according to all of their background indicators.
So my point still stands that outside influences have a huge part in our decision making process. At the end of the day, though, it is OUR choice. Free Will
Usually people who tend to lean on the belief that we lack free will are in reality just trying to justify their behaviors. It is their scapegoat for anything not deemed socially acceptable. They will just say "I can't help it...I was made that way"
If you see a billboard ad of a hamburger and the next day you decide to eat one than how much of that decision is yours? When you see tv ads with so many subliminal messages, how do you know they are not changing your decisions?
We STILL have a choice. Advertising is a great example of outside influences.
I think in your example you are questioning not free-will but the strength of will power. We all have differing levels of will power. The ability to overcome these influences. That is why some smokers can chain smoke for 20 years then put it down and walk away. While others will try but always return to smoking over and over. They lack the will power to fight the urges.
The reason advertising is able to influence most people about simple things - like what to eat for dinner - is because we don't care enough one way or the other. Most people don't put much thought into their dietary intake on a meal by meal basis. So the influence works. A VEGAN on the other would be unmoved by this advertising because he actually cares about his dietary intake.
This is getting to be too long. So I will digress and just say thanks for the discourse. I really did enjoy it!
lol. A Vegan is the most brainwashed of all since humans have stomach flora that is designed from evolution to digest meme. They just bought into another meme. hence making yet again my point.
:)
LOL!...I can agree with your statement about vegans. I was only using them as an EXAMPLE of people having the FREE WILL to choose. So MY point is still valid!
Actually, you just helped to prove my point further. Since according to you part of the natural influence of "stomach flora" in our own body would say eat the meat. They use their own will power to overcome that influence. Because they chose to. WE make choices based off of our understanding and parsing of information that is given to us. Still a choice. An influence is ONLY an influence NOT a command. So that once we hear or see something we somehow become a slave to it. Humans still have the free will to choose for themselves how they will respond.
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”
― Viktor E. Frankl https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2782.Viktor_E_Frankl
Our bodies are designed to eat meat. they don't have to eat meat :)