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

I've often thought about this at great length. Do we actually have free will? If you think about it our bodies run purely on chemical reactions, and therefore everything we do is a result of how these reactions occur. Someone who is the way they are will react a certain way given a situation. Do you think it's possible that we would literally always react the same way every time given the exact same circumstances, and the only reason we act differently given similar choices is the experience of the last situation changing the neural pathways in our brains. Just food for thought, but if this is the case then we truly are creatures of habit, and we have no free will. Only responses to outside stimuli that seem like free will, but are actually out of our control.

Originally Posted by DocDoom

I've often thought about this at great length. Do we actually have free will? If you think about it our bodies run purely on chemical reactions, and therefore everything we do is a result of how these reactions occur. Someone who is the way they are will react a certain way given a situation. Do you think it's possible that we would literally always react the same way every time given the exact same circumstances, and the only reason we act differently given similar choices is the experience of the last situation changing the neural pathways in our brains. Just food for thought, but if this is the case then we truly are creatures of habit, and we have no free will. Only responses to outside stimuli that seem like free will, but are actually out of our control.

i think this is true to a certain extent. if i got into it, i would be typing a page which i really don't want to do right now. but, i feel like this is true for short-term things. for things that are done which aren't habitual or the body hasn't seen before, i feel like your reaction relies on emotions (mostly emotions for women. it's proven that they process things through emotion) AND logic. the brain has most of the control, but sometimes the mind can override it is my opinion

While your brain is chemical reactions, I feel as though there's something missing, that we haven't discovered.

In any case, its kind of like the Matrix problematic ; "Do we exist, or only think we exist?"
We cannot know. However, I personally believe that we do have free will.

Whether our thought-processes are chemically-driven or not, would imply the question regarding destiny, despite being in a chemical-form.

Furthermore, is creativity original and unique to each human being, or are some people's creative brain regions more developped?

Originally Posted by hybridx3

i feel like your reaction relies on emotions

But our emotions are still just chemicals and pathways built up in our brain based on past experiences, so wouldn't this mean even our emotions are just chemical responses to outside stimuli as well?

Originally Posted by DocDoom

But our emotions are still just chemicals and pathways built up in our brain based on past experiences, so wouldn't this mean even our emotions are just chemical responses to outside stimuli as well?

yes but read the full sentence. the end of that sentence said, "AND logic."

Which lead to my last sentence saying the brain (unconscious function which are the chemical reactions you're talking about) has most of the control but the mind (conscious, meaningful decisions) sometimes can override it.

Originally Posted by DocDoom

I've often thought about this at great length. Do we actually have free will? If you think about it our bodies run purely on chemical reactions, and therefore everything we do is a result of how these reactions occur. Someone who is the way they are will react a certain way given a situation. Do you think it's possible that we would literally always react the same way every time given the exact same circumstances, and the only reason we act differently given similar choices is the experience of the last situation changing the neural pathways in our brains. Just food for thought, but if this is the case then we truly are creatures of habit, and we have no free will. Only responses to outside stimuli that seem like free will, but are actually out of our control.

So what you're really asking is if we live in a deterministic universe? Determinism is very important to how we understand the universe. And since we are part of the universe, we are in turn deterministic. Daniel Dennett is a very wise philosopher who argues that determinism and free will can both exist. More specifically, that humans have developed free will through Darwinian evolution, which also a deterministic process.

Start with this video. It's quite deep, but worth a few watches.

My humble opinion on this matter is this:

It is in fact the outside stimuli that condition our responses the same one that help us evolve, I don't believe evolution to be possible without the intervention of external factors.

Even If you decide to go against outside stimuli, time and nature probably will favor those who are better suited to evolve, instead of favoring those who believe that they live in a world on their own.

Just my two cents.

Illusion. All of our choices or based upon an experience that happens before that choice.

For my opinion, both.

Free will is real because you can choose whatever your heart desires. You are free to choose based on your decision if you are referring from past experience that is your choice of what you are now.

Illusion because we cannot choose our parents and siblings.