Do we have Free Will? Or is everything predetermined?

Question

We don't chose our genes, our parents/family, or society we are born into. So we are pretty much programmed and live by it. Where is our free will? I asked this a few days ago but didn't get any good answers. Most answers totaly missed the point. For example “Your thought no one can think for you”.Yes, but am I already programmed? We know a computer program has no free will, even though it may seem so. Our childhood/genes/society is our programming. Our thoughts are a direct consequence from it. “To question is to have free will”- Nope. I was raised to question. My parents are open minded. Look at people you know who don’t question. Then look at their parents. Did I choose my parents?“It’s your decision knowing right from wrong”- Is it? What if I was raised by the n***s? What would I think is the right thing to do?Society makes those calls for us.

Are your thought right now yours? Or are they just a cause and effect that has been going on since you were born? Think before you answer!

Answer 1

Free will is an illusion caused by the relative unpredictability of human thought processes.  Ultimately everything, including our bodies and our thoughts, is made up of particles.  Those particles act in mindless accordance with natural laws.  There is absolutely no reason to suggest that a thought is in any way disconnected from the chain of cause and effect that connects all other physical events.  It isn't just something that has been going on since you were born, it has been going on for more than thirteen billion years.  Every action potential of every neuron in your brain is causally determined.

But if you did have free will, what would you choose to do?  Your personality, your preferences, everything that you might feasibly base a decision on is also physically present in your brain.  The distinction between free will and determinism really only exists if you believe that who you are is somehow separate from your body.  This is obviously a very widespread belief, but not for any particularly good reason.  Some of the specifics of how the brain works are still being figured out, but we know enough about it that we can say with some certainty that decision making is a purely physical process.  

So basically your thoughts are your own, as long as you recognise that 'you' are nothing more than the product of the specific formation of matter and energy that constitutes your body.  Your brain is in control of your choices, sometimes consciously sometimes not.  If you're raised by n***s there is indeed a very good chance that you would choose to act in accordance with n**i ideals.  But you would make those choices because your n**i upbringing would determine who you were.  'You' is a concept specific to your body, the reason you would make different choices if you had a different upbringing is because you would be a different person.  So your thoughts are controlled by you (i.e. your physical body) but who you are is in turn controlled by external circumstances through causal determinism.

Answer 2

This question of free will only has relevance if one believes in a creator/creatrix. If one doesn't then nothing is predetermined for there was no creator to do the determination. It also follows that there is no right or wrong, no black or white, no up or down, no good or evil.

If nothing is predetermined can we have free will? No. Our senses are filtered. One cannot make a choice if one is prevented from perceiving that there is a choice.

Edit: The argument for determinism in science is not valid. One of the most fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics is Heisenberg's uncertainty principle which states that one cannot know both the energy state and the position of a particle at the same time.

Further, the universe can be considered fractal in nature. This means that small changes can have catastrophic effects on a given system that are not able to be determined until after the fact.

The argument that it is human nature to procreate, but you have free will to use birth control if you desire is also invalid. Human nature is that it feels good to have s*x. It's the experience that is the motivator, not the end result.

Answer 3

Your intuition that we do not have freedom-of-the-will has a philosophical defense, called Determinism. The thesis is simple, as it is just this:

Every action, thought, event is causally-determined by prior events, actions, thoughts, such that they do not originate from the will.

More specifically, the thesis is implied by these two  agreeable propositions:

For any event A, the total-set-of history prior to A and the laws of nature, entail that A must happen.

In otherwords, it looks like this:

(Total-set of history) + (laws of nature) entail (event A)

That is, given the total-set-of-history, all of the facts there (even the most mundane and minute) in history prior to event-A, plus the laws of nature, entail that event-A MUST happen that way, it will in fact, happen.

This thesis, which is Determinism, along with the idea that this very thesis - determinism - is incompatible with human-free-will, is called Hard Determinism. That is, given the truth of determinism, that fact is imcompatible with - or mutually incosistent with - human free-will.

The reasoning can get a bit more complicated, by the fundamental idea is relatively simple. Although, on a more scientific-route, Hard determinism has some support there as well. For instance, I am and you are entirely made up of atoms and their smaller corporeal parts. These objects, and their smaller parts, are completely predictable - that is, we can in theory know - if given enough physical information about the atoms and their parts - the exact localition of every single particle in some future setting. So, if we know what state a particle is in for some even N, right now, and we can using theoretical physics, predict with maximal accuracy where those very same particles must be in some future state F, then it follows that every single atom, in theory, could be known (prior to it's actual future location), including ourselves and our thoughts, where they must be in some future state F...This looks dismal for human-free will. For all we having going for it, in it's support, is out 'feeling' that we are indeed making free-choices...but sensations have often deceived us in the past.

________

Any way, I believe in determinism, that is, I think the thesis is true. However, I am what one calls a compatibilist - a person who thinks determinism yet, inspite of that fact, we still have free-will. After the two-arguments featured above, such a thesis may seem odd, but it is pretty commonplace in the philosophical community now a' days. Any way, read up on the sources for more, and better, info!

Hope this helped!

Answer 4

Unfortunately, I think you are correct.  We don't have any free will, even though we lead to believe we do.  And what is freedom anyways?  A highly successful person who has the world on a string can feel like a prisoner, while an actual prisoner can feel free and totally taken care of; it is all relative.

There is good news though, through all of the items you mentioned, there is one place where we can realize our true freedom and that is within a society of our choosing (away from the society at large).  We are in a natural system where we are all connected, where all of our fates are tied together and we operate like cog wheels.  But according to our perception we are separate entities with freedom to do as we wish.  If we want to understand and truly have some influence over our destiny we have to relate one another as our true connection merits.  This is, ironically, the only place where we can realize our freedom.  Until we do this, we will continue to suffer from separation, depression and crises in the world.

Here is a short animated clip, showing our past, present and future according to our connection:

http://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/kabbalah...

And if you are interested in learning more about how we can correct our situation here is a short clip on our perception of reality:

http://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/kabbalah...

Answer 5

Exactly!

If you were raised by n**i's, who would you turn out to be?

If you were raised by a suicide bomber, would you too become one?

I think only the strongest of men have free will.

Lets say the man is a violent alcoholic.

The women a meth addict.

They have 3 offspring.

The first grows up to severely abuse drugs, and alcohol

The second marries a man that hits her

& the third ends up being  succesful, happy, a great father, a better husband, and is nothing like the people he raised.

I don't know how religious you are. But I think that we are programmed. That their is no true "free will", their are choices. You may be born in the poorest part of town but you choose to stay. "if their is a will there is a way"

But, like I said only the strong HAVE A WILL

I think it is just a big cause and affect.

Because we need other people to influence ourselves.

I think since the beginning of time. The reason for the world and the way its going is for example, when your little...

Someone throws your friends toy on the ground,

your thoughts are

A)pick up the toy

B)leave it

C)steal it, ect.

I think we all are the exact same. In the exact same situations.

The thing that changes is what We Choose to do.

You have asked a difficult question.

If I didn't clarify enough,

please message me for further discussion.

You have awakened my mind for the night :)

Answer 6

The mind has a constant yearn to transcend, even the conscious side is not aware.  It is because of the constant transcendence of the mind that we become a kin to particular sentient,  hence called soul mate. In the process of transcendence we choose what learning module is best suited for particular level of awareness.    

One choose to be born a son or daughter of his former great grand daughter or to anyone you feel akin too.  Each module let you experience to be rich, poor, male, female, color and nationality and in every aspect of it involves transcendence.  Karma, is the result of cause and effect from previous and present lives likewise plays a role which acts as a limit and extent of your consciousness after waiting to be born and have been born.

Once you become aware and awaken by the existence of the Mind and its need to transcend, you start to shed away the negative karma by creating good karma.  Constantly evolving to a higher state of being.   Each person has his own level of understanding of what it truth, but what is truth may not be absolute truth.  At that he is not totally bad, he is just wise to that extent.

Its module , concept is never forced.  You can learn at your own phase although it is better to finish and evolve as fast as you can.  Since every chance of evolving is a chance to be fallen back because of Aggregates and defilement of the physical world.  People are free to do what he wants, but be mindful that there would be causal effects and that cannot be ignored.  There is personal Karma and there is also Collective Karma.  Example of collective Karma is like a Leader who wage war for his own particular knowing of what is right,  and in the process his own people suffers from taxes to fund the war.  Death, suffering, old age, sickness are natural but that doesn't give us right to inflict it without due consideration as to the outcome of such decision.

Answer 7

It doesn't matter what we think, it matters what you think and feel.  This is a question that over your lifetime you may change your mind about more than once, and that's okay.  Everyday we learn something new that changes our perception about life.  I know what I believe today, ask me next year at the same time.  Good luck growing up, I hope you have many eye opening lessons from whomever you believe is your supreme being or God.  Jen

Answer 8

its determined where you come from and you cant change it. and free will is the ability to live life how you want around that already determined part of your life. but there are some restrictions to what free will can achieve.

ehh does that answer a bit?

Answer 9

It doesn't mean you get free will even if you could choose your genes, your parents/family...you would be your own prisoner of thinking instead.

Yes, you are, or, we are programmed. Yes, our thoughts right now are not ours, they just a cause and effect that has been going on since we were born.

You are right.   BUT,  it doesn't mean free will doesn't exist.

Answer 10

True free will is not dictated by your surroundings. Consider your "human nature". Male humans are programmed to "spread the seed" and Females are here to give birth. On the most basic level our lives are tied to this nature. Yet in a modern society there are numerous examples of overcoming this. Most of us use some form of birth control on a regular basis. The responsibility associated with procreation is often unwanted when we first become capable of doing so. It is this desire to not live by our nature that can be translated as free will. Your surroundings build up your "self", which in turn becomes a factor in your decision making, but even if your produced the same conditions for several people, the outcomes would be different. I suggest reading Sartre's ideas on free will and responsiblity.

Answer 11

yea. i thought of such things too. like whatever im doing now and whatever im thinking now. isit because someone is controlling me to do so.controlling my thoughts. programmed my whole life and all.. i actually think that its true.. because some things we dont really have a choice as to what colour we want to be born, what s*x, what parents, rich or poor, and so on..for chinese they have this reincarnation thing. which is like if u did wrong for ur past life. u would be reincarnate as an animal or maybe into a bad family... karma.. but i kinda think that we would'nt remember our past lifes and all so its kinda unfair.. but we wont ever know if our lives were programmed. never..