Maybe this has come up before, but I still wanted to ask. Lately, I’ve been a bit confused about whether we really have free will or not. I’m not religious and I don’t really believe in metaphysics. I’d probably call myself agnostic. I’ve just been questioning life more than I used to, and this thought keeps popping into my head.
Do we actually have free will? Like, can we really choose things the way religious texts say we can? What made me think about this is how predictable the micro world seems to be—but when you go deeper into the quantum level, things get really chaotic and complex.
On top of that, as people, we’re constantly shaped by what we go through, and it feels like our reactions and choices get more limited over time.
What do you think about all this?
Thanks for you fast comment. I’ll look at B.F. Skinner.
You’re welcome
There are many others with good ideas about free will, but the reality is that it doesn’t matter in the slightest. If we do have it, then we will act as we choose, if we don’t, then what we think we think we’re acting from choice
The outcome is absolutely the same, it’s just whether or not we’re prepared to take responsibility for our choices
It’s all unfalsafiable, so it’s in the realm of philosophy. There’s no evidence either way, so we may as well just be true to ourselves and enjoy the ride