I think arguments against free will collapse when you consider human self-reflection.
Unlike a pea tendril reacting to stimuli, humans evaluate their thoughts, weigh consequences (meta cognition), and make deliberate decisions. Human brains tend to differ significantly from peas; though my wife may disagree in my case 🤓.
Free will isn’t erased by cause and effect; it’s really rooted in our capacity to think critically and act intentionally.
For example, doesn’t resisting a harmful habit or planning for the future demonstrate agency far beyond simple reactions. While it operates within causality, free will is real because of our ability to reflect and choose.
Take even the speaker’s words. Just because she’s unaware of the source of those words amidst the complexity of the neurological mechanisms producing them doesn’t equal absence of free will of choosing them at a deeply subconscious level.
We FIRST engineer our thoughts THEN, our thoughts engineer our lives.
Here’s to the REALITY of the universal speed limit of free will which, once embraced, is indomitable.
I struggle with explaining this to myself at times and find it very difficult to express this to others. Thank you
I think arguments against free will collapse when you consider human self-reflection.
Unlike a pea tendril reacting to stimuli, humans evaluate their thoughts, weigh consequences (meta cognition), and make deliberate decisions. Human brains tend to differ significantly from peas; though my wife may disagree in my case 🤓.
Free will isn’t erased by cause and effect; it’s really rooted in our capacity to think critically and act intentionally.
For example, doesn’t resisting a harmful habit or planning for the future demonstrate agency far beyond simple reactions. While it operates within causality, free will is real because of our ability to reflect and choose.
Take even the speaker’s words. Just because she’s unaware of the source of those words amidst the complexity of the neurological mechanisms producing them doesn’t equal absence of free will of choosing them at a deeply subconscious level.
We FIRST engineer our thoughts THEN, our thoughts engineer our lives.
Here’s to the REALITY of the universal speed limit of free will which, once embraced, is indomitable.
Even God does not violate it.
I like this explanation as well and oftentimes I think we don’t give enough conscious credit to the subconscious mind.
Love that way of putting it, Danielle!
“Conscious credit to the unconscious”
I love this!