Someone once told me that if there’s one thing that humans have full authority over, it is their ability to exercise free will. Apparently, free will is a human’s birthright. But, free will isn’t as simple as that. What really is free will?
Recently, I read about casual determinism. It’s the idea that everything in one’s life is pre-determined by the circumstances and occurrences that they face. Random circumstances in one’s life is what actually influences the decisions they make. So, this means that our ability to exercise free will is influenced by all the years of random occurrences. I think I can better explain this by using an example:
I love to travel and enjoy reading in my free time as well as cooking meals.
Now, I know my love for travelling exists because I have never had the opportunity to travel until three years back. The feeling I get when I embark on a plane to a much awaited destination is unexplainable. Likewise, I enjoy reading because in elementary school I had to write multiple book reports every summer. My joy of cooking meals comes from seeing my mom preparing meals for the entire family and witnessing the joy it gave her.
So, this means that everything I love, enjoy or dislike is influenced by someone or something. The chain of events and experiences that have led me to my likes and dislikes influence my ability to make my everyday choices. Did I actually decide anything about my likes or dislikes or have they been determined for me based on my experiences?
I think when many people think of free will they think of it as having the liberty to do whatever they want. To some extent, we do have the liberty to do whatever we want. And we also have the power to make certain decisions. But if as humans, we are continuously being influenced to make certain decisions then it means that our free will is governed by a multitude of factors.
I know many people believe the free will is non-existent. I understand why. People who know the definition of free will are most prone to reject the idea. Human actions are determined by external factors and although fate may play a role in a person’s life, their actions are always influenced. Perhaps, the idea of free will is an illusion. Maybe I believe that I have made a conscious decision but instead it is my brain convincing me that I have made a decision based on the experiences it has stored. I know, it can sound confusing.
I guess the problem with free will is that it cannot be exercised “freely” because we live in a world that is regulated by laws and morals. How can we exercise our free will when most of our actions are influenced by the law and moral values of society? This means maybe we don’t have free will after all.
“It’s true that there’s no such thing as free will. We can’t help what we are or what we do. It’s not our fault. Nobody’s to blame for anything. It’s all in your background … and your glands. If you’re good, that’s no achievement of yours — you were lucky in your glands. If you’re rotten, nobody should punish you — you were unlucky, that’s all.” — Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
