Free will again (Humans)

by dhw, Sunday, February 26, 2012, 12:41 (4653 days ago)

In response to Romansh's posts under "Knowledge and Illusion":-We had a pretty exhaustive discussion on this topic about 18 months ago. I objected then that your definition of free will as "the ability to act or to make choices independently of the environment or of the universe" automatically defines free will out of existence, since NOTHING we know of is independent of the universe. I proposed an alternative definition, which I believe is far more in line with what most people understand by the term, and which leaves open the question of whether or not it exists: "an entity's conscious ability to control its decision-making process within given constraints". These were 1) outside constraints imposed by the situation or by Nature, and 2) constraints affecting the decision-making process itself, such as heredity, upbringing, education, illness, accidents, chance encounters. I concluded this particular post (20 September 2010 at 12.04) with the following: "For me the question of free will is simply part of the even more complex one of identity [...] Just what is it that directs our minds to take decisions? Brain cells directing brain cells? Or the ghost in the machine?"-I agree with David that the question can only be resolved by discovering the source of consciousness, and since no-one knows what that is, I don't see how anyone can make a definitive statement either way.