Thread: Is free will real, or merely an illusion?

Free-will is real, but since people are creatures of habit, we are incredibly predictable. Some folks become enslaved by their habits, but that is a result of comforting repetition of free-will. Id, ego, and superego (they're Freudian terms; look them up) moderate the choices we make, so external restrictions do exist, but the choice to reject the latter two terms is still an option. We can do whatever we want but ultimately choose not to, if that makes sense.



Whatever you believe, I decided to post this.

Originally Posted by doodoocheese

Free-will is real, but since people are creatures of habit, we are incredibly predictable. Some folks become enslaved by their habits, but that is a result of comforting repetition of free-will. Id, ego, and superego (they're Freudian terms; look them up) moderate the choices we make, so external restrictions do exist, but the choice to reject the latter two terms is still an option. We can do whatever we want but ultimately choose not to, if that makes sense.

Whatever you believe, I decided to post this.

But why did you decide to post this? ;]

People act because of who they are, and they are not in control of who they are, they are shaped by environment + genetics interacting with each other.

...

Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says controversial study - and conservative politics can lead people to be racist | Mail Online

Oh dear. Looks like we don't choose our own views.

Originally Posted by mesonpion

But why did you decide to post this? ;]

People act because of who they are, and they are not in control of who they are, they are shaped by environment + genetics interacting with each other.

...

Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says controversial study - and conservative politics can lead people to be racist | Mail Online

Oh dear. Looks like we don't choose our own views.

I would ask you to keep your political views out of this, since I for one am a conservative, and - get this - I actually believe in freedom for all people, regardless of skin color! How shocking a revelation! Moreover, I am an engineer, so the article from the link which you posted just became obsolete, as I have been known to design airplanes from time to time, but just for fun, you know. Not saying that makes me intelligent, which I am clearly not because I believe in God and free will, and my views of conservatism are the same as those of America's Founding Fathers. Wait, those racist guys? Those men who established the United States, after being almost slaves themselves to (at that time) the largest empire on Earth? I forgot, they were all dumb lackwits.

Aside from that obvious diatribe, and back onto the original subject, the honest truth is that free will is inherent in all humans. How can I be completely certain of that statement? All anyone has to do is to utter "I am". Well, actually "I am now". When saying "I am now" it implies my existence at this particular "time" and my knowledge of such. If I did not have free will, how would I know how to think about my thinking and existence? Utter nonsense, you might be thinking, but you have just proven my point without even thinking about it. (Hey, I wonder why he is always saying thinking? Hmm... let me consider that for a moment.) The ability to ascend past our own higher processes is the proof in the pudding, dear friends.

I reckon it's a mixture of both. As doodoocheese said, we are creatures of habit. Due to our upbringing, we have been conditioned to believe and think in certain ways. However, there is conflict between views and perspectives inside our own minds, and that of others. There are components of both hard-wiring and free will which allow us to make decisions.

Originally Posted by PapCze

I would ask you to keep your political views out of this, since I for one am a conservative, and - get this - I actually believe in freedom for all people, regardless of skin color! How shocking a revelation! Moreover, I am an engineer, so the article from the link which you posted just became obsolete, as I have been known to design airplanes from time to time, but just for fun, you know. Not saying that makes me intelligent, which I am clearly not because I believe in God and free will, and my views of conservatism are the same as those of America's Founding Fathers. Wait, those racist guys? Those men who established the United States, after being almost slaves themselves to (at that time) the largest empire on Earth? I forgot, they were all dumb lackwits.

Aside from that obvious diatribe, and back onto the original subject, the honest truth is that free will is inherent in all humans. How can I be completely certain of that statement? All anyone has to do is to utter "I am". Well, actually "I am now". When saying "I am now" it implies my existence at this particular "time" and my knowledge of such. If I did not have free will, how would I know how to think about my thinking and existence? Utter nonsense, you might be thinking, but you have just proven my point without even thinking about it. (Hey, I wonder why he is always saying thinking? Hmm... let me consider that for a moment.) The ability to ascend past our own higher processes is the proof in the pudding, dear friends.

Oh you didn't understand at all. I was not favoring one political view over the other, or stating my own, I was just showing that there are links between factors out of our own control (childhood intelligence) and what you're likely to believe and become at a later age. Of course there are intelligent and idiotic people from both sides of the spectrum, if you'd read the article you would see it stated. Not a very shocking revelation at all. It has not "become obsolete", the study was not out to prove that all right wingers are stupid/racist, just that you're more likely to become right wing or racist if you have low cognitive abilities as a child. You are not an anomaly. The whole point was to illustrate that what opinions we form are out of our control. I don't think you really read the article. No one was calling all conservatives racists. Who said anything about God? :P

Self awareness is not free will. Please give your definition of free will, as it differs from most others.

I suggest you read my post on the last page and give me your reply to that.

Eveything is pre ordained... we live in The Matrix