Do Humans really have free will?

[crudus]

But there is a lot that we cannot control. For instance we are born with instincts hard-wired into our minds. The instinct to pro-create for example, we may not have any desire to have children in our conscious minds but burning at the back of every single one of us is the sheer unbridled impulsion to make sure there is something to carry us on. This is not something we can choose to ignore in a right minds, sure you can ignore if you want to. It's not going to go away though.

Another example is emotion as a whole, who would choose to be unhappy given the choice? Surely our own emotional responses are our own doing? Then why can we not just choose to be happy? Why can we not just choose to be indifferent when somethign angers us? These emotions will cause us to take actions we dont't neccessarily want to take.

If this is all true then our free will is limited to a very small scope of possibility. At the end of the day we have been programmed through thousands of years of evolution and we are not going to shake off that programming for a long time yet, if ever.

So my question is this, is free will merely an illusion? A very narrow window of choice that we believe to be larger than it really is simply because we cannot see outside this narrow view?

Damn i feel pretentious right now xD

Many people can just be happy. Many people can just not be angry. I am one of those people. For your first example (the one about procreating)

The very basis of free will in my opinion, we can make up our minds or choose not to. We can care or not care.

People choose not to have sex. They have their biological urges for sex under control. Besides, there are people who are just asexual (no attraction toward either gender). Those people aren't slaves to their sexual urges as you seem to imply everyone else is.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

We have the free will to prove to ourselves that we have free will. Other than that, we are primarily controlled by our genetics, our family, our society, and our friends.

 

[Astoria]

My view is that there are things that are just meant to happen. Not everything in your life is planned though so you have a choice about those things and the path you take in life but in the end you'll wind up in the same place that you would've had you taken another path.

 

[TeeBs]

Every choice a human makes is based on knowns that the person believes are true and unknowns, and we have no control over these.

 

[PandaManDan]

Thats basically the nature side of the nurture v nature argument. But in most countries in the West who stress individualism its more or less only 50-50. Emotions are evolutionary but the triggers are all environmental, most of which occur based on choices you make out of your own freewill.

 

[smithy_2045]

Honestly, I don't care if I have "free will" or not, it's not going to change how I live my life.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Play Legacy of Kain, have sense of free will rocked. But seriously, I can do what I want, the only thing that stops me from making some decisions is self-preservation and social constructs.

 

[Scout Tactical]

Nope.avi.

No free will for anyone, anywhere. From the moment you are conceived, your DNA predestines your personality, and therefore all choices you will make. Of course, some of your psyche is also affected by your life experiences, but again, the sum of these emotions forces your hand every time.

 

[GodofCider]

Snip.

Hmm...I go this route.


Decide what you are going to have for breakfast tomorrow morning. Now look back upon that event and ask yourself if you could have decided upon a different choice.

No, of course not. That decision will forever be the decision you made at that time.

Though you still made that choice regardless.

 

[The Stonker]

Nothing is stopping me from murdering somebody.
Because according to your logic then we should let all the criminals out because they have no "free will".
And therefore not responsible for their actions.

 

[Paksenarrion]

As a baby, you are sociologically capable of anything. However, you are physically limited in your actions.

As an adult, you are physically capable of anything. However, you are sociologically restrained in your thoughts.

 

[Coldie]

The concept of 'Free Will' is ultimately meaningless from inside the allegedly controlled system. You cannot distinguish whether or not your actions are your own or are dictated by your subconscious/little green men/the Wheel of Fate/giant metal hand in the sky. You would still know that your will is your own, unless you explicitly know that you're being mind controlled by a shadow priest.

An outsider may be able to observe the system's behavior and make a conclusion, whether or not the system is influenced from outside or is completely deterministic, but that would still accomplish nothing. You can't "rebel" against Fate, as that is just a part of it.

More meaninglessness:
1. Universe A is deterministic.
2. Outsider Omega in Universe B observes universe A and reveals that information to the people of Uni-A.
Will it ruin the deterministic nature of Uni-A and free it/destroy it? Or was Outsider Omega always predestined to reveal that information as a part of Uni-A's preset Fate and it isn't possible to defy the machinations of the tyrannous stars?

A time traveler would observe the universe as pre-determined, regardless of whether it is true or not. Any timeline changes originated by the time traveler are predetermined by the meta-Universe and the meta-timeline is forever unchanging. You could keep tossing that coin, but it will never land on its edge, not without outside help.