Do we have free will?

Do we have free will?
Photo by Vladislav Babienko / Unsplash

Are we slaves to fate?

Are all of our decisions predetermined?

Do we have any kind of free will?

"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper".
- Albert Einstein, from the Saturday Evening Post article titled "What Life Means to Einstein

Most of us feel and believe that we have free will.

That is, we believe that we have the power to choose a course of action for ourselves through the choices that we make.

And it really does feel like in almost every moment of life we are making or pondering a decision that is determined by our own conscious thought.

  • Should I go to the gym or do my washing first?
  • What should I have for dinner?
  • What time should I go to bed tonight?

However, there are some in the world of metaphysics and philosophy who argue that we possess no free will at all.

One such philosophy states that all events in the universe, including human actions and decisions, are causally inevitable. That is, every decision we make is already determined based on events that have already occurred.

This philosophical view is know as Causal Determinism.

Causal Determinism

Think of it along the following lines; our first decision after birth is determined by two things that are are totally outwith our control: 1) our inborn nature (what we inherit from our parents), and 2) environment.

That is, when we are born, before we have had any chance to experience anything, learn or grow, we have to make a decision about how to react to our environment based purely on our instincts. Instincts which are based purely on what we have inherited in our genes.

That first decision after birth may be something very tiny, like shielding our eyes from light, crying, or reaching a hand out to grab hold of something. An infant may not even be consciously making that decision, it just happens.

This first decision, this first fork in the road, determines the future that follows.

It leads us down a path to other choices that will also be informed by our genes and environment. Certainly we grow and learn from the decisions we have made, but determinism states that each decision is ultimately caused by the decisions that came before it.

Consequently, this would mean that since the very first event in the universe (the Big Bang) the entire future of the universe was already mapped out and totally inevitable.

I picture it as being something like the Butterfly Effect, with each event causing the following events. Only in this case, the alternative branches do not exist. Leaving us with the illusion of choices and alternate paths, but that the choice does not truly exist.

Arguments for free will

You may be thinking that whilst we cannot control our genes or our environment, we can choose how we react to our environment. You may be right.

There are many out there who dispute determinism altogether, saying that the logic that led to the suggestion of the determinism philosophy relies on a sort of common sense that cannot be proved, and to which physics often does not adhere.

There are also some that argue that free will and causal determinism and free will are not mutually exclusive concepts, such as Scottish philosopher, David Hume.

The view that free will and determinism can coexist is known as Compatibilism.

Precise views may differ, but generally, compatibilists believe that humans have the ability to exert free will within the limitations of our nature, which is outside of our control.

So, one may be born and molded by their environment to be of a certain nature, for example a quiet, bookish individual. However, that person would have the free will to operate within that nature, or even modify their nature to a limited degree.

So where do I sit in this?

I myself lean towards the side of pure determinism, as the reasoning behind it feels logical to me.

Either way, I find it a deeply interesting, puzzling idea to think about.

So what?

Why am I even telling you this?

Is there any possible use that can come of knowing this, especially since it may not even be true? I think there is.

1) Increase empathy for others

Let's assume that pure determinism is true - that we have no control over our actions. We only have the illusion of choice and that everything has been pre-determined since the dawn of time.

With this idea, we can see the people around us in a whole new light.

Nobody is where they are because they chose to be. Everyone is there because they could be exactly no where else. They were always going to end up there, and they had no say in the matter.

Knowing this, whenever we find ourselves frustrated with how people conduct themselves, or wishing that they would behave differently, consider that they have no free will.

Assume that they react that way because they are designed to react that way.

Picture in your head what they must have been through to create their present circumstances, remembering that they had no choice in the matter.

Forgive them for it.

This should be much easier to reconcile if you accept that nobody has any choice in what we do.

2) Increase empathy for yourself

Similarly, if you imagine that free will obsolete and that you have no control over you present circumstances, then you can begin to accept your circumstances with grace.

Accepting that you have little, or even no control may allow you to reframe your situation.

Halt the tirade against yourself before it begins.

Who knows, you may even be able to forgive your mistakes, and be happier for it.

I have mentioned some positive ways to use this idea, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the great, gaping holes that you could fall into.

The dangers of causal determinism

The two positive uses of embracing determinism that I mentioned above can be utilised whether or not free will exists.

Case 1) Free will does not exist, and we are all slaves bound to the chains of causal determinism.

In this case, then utilising the ideas above are simply helping us to accept reality.

Case 2) Free will does exist, and causal determinism is nothing more than the ramblings of clever lunatics.

Here, even though the things we tell ourselves using the methods are not true, they may be a useful tool for us to get over difficult periods of our lives and be more accepting of people around us.

However, if free will does exist and we excessively latch onto the idea that our decisions do not mean anything, then we run a real risk of making bad decisions, or no decisions at all, telling ourselves that our actions don't matter.

Without knowing if we have free will or not, I suggest we continue to live our lives making the best decisions we can.

Ponder important decisions where you must, focus on things you love, and don't get bogged down in things that aren't that important.

Use the idea of causal determinism to positively reframe how you see your life and other people. Don't let it become a slothful crutch that you use to avoid thinking about the important things in life.

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Many thanks for your support friends.

I'll see you soon.

Jack

References

  1. Determinism
  2. Free Will
  3. Why the Classical Argument Against Free Will is a Failure
  4. What Life Means to Einstein
  5. Compatibilism