Free Will

The subject of the nature of human will has been deeply debated since we became aware of ourselves in the context of the workings and forces of the universe that are beyond our control. Is there truly free will, or are we just sophisticated biological robots with programmed responses to our environmental conditions? Are we truly autonomous creatures or we are just animated toys of the creator gods just living for their entertainment?  If there is free will, what are its limits? If we are preprogrammed, who made the program and why are we programmed to behave as we do? 

There may be no absolute answers to some of these questions, at least none that can be found in this brief discussion. However, these are important question that are worth exploring, whether or not the answers give us any more power over our lives, or merely confirm that we have less free will than we thought. 

To begin, let’s define some of the key terms we are using in this discussion. 

Will – individual determinations, choices, or motivations, driving thought or behaviors

Free – originating in, and directed only from within, by the individual exercising will; uncontrolled by outside agents or forces. 

Let’s examine the first term – will. Does will exist? Are there thoughts, choices, and behaviors determined from inside individuals? There certainly are. We experience them constantly. 

The more difficult question to answer is, what is the nature of that will?  What is its origin? What are its boundaries? 

Let’s dig a bit deeper. We as humans, experience will, volition, determination, and choices all the time. Yet, these phenomena occur only when we are in certain functioning mental states. We have no experience or expression of will when we are unconscious. Will therefore exists only when we are conscious. Also, we have no experience of will or choice when we are unaware. If we don’t know about or remember something, we can’t make a determination about it. Will also requires awareness. We have no evidence that people who are not living have any will or make choices. 

The expression of will in determinations, preferences, or choices, only exist in the conscious aware mind. Will is therefore limited by our states of consciousness and awareness. 

If our will is limited by our levels of awareness, then the quality of our knowledge and awareness is also a limiting factor of our wills. If we are only partially aware of something, or are misinformed about it, our expression of will through choices will also be limited. The more informed our choices are, the less limited is our will. More and better information leads to more and better choices or more freedom of will. 

But here is another wrinkle. We do not possess unlimited knowledge or unlimited intellectual processing capabilities. Our intellectual constraints do limit our awareness and understanding and therefore limit our will. But the more information we possess, the more time and mental energy is required to process large amounts of complex information. In many cases, we limit our own scope of choices by choosing to not invest the time and effort to examine and process all the information available. We also therefore choose to limit our own available free will. 

So we have established that we, as normally functioning humans, experience will, but that it has limits to its scope and freedom. We have a scope of choices or options that can be selected based on several factors including, sub-conscious or instinctive drivers, current emotions or feelings, environmental awareness, rational thoughts, or in order to execute some already chosen routine, pathway, or strategy. The human decision-making tree can be rather detailed and complex masking its underlying machinations and presenting a picture of spontaneity, randomness, or unfettered freedom. If we could examine and analyze our decisions in more detail, we would likely find that what may look like free or random choice on the outside, is actually the product of a cascade of biologically determined or deep-brain instinctive responses, modified by higher-order psychological and intellectual situational and environmental awareness factors. 

Our thoughts, feelings, desires, and rationales, don’t just pop in our heads from nowhere. They are all the products of our complex organic bodies, sensory, nervous, and brain systems, that operate according to known physical interactive patterns or rules, according to genetic designs. This is why we lose consciousness and will if these systems become too dysfunctional. If the systems that produce our consciousness and will are determined by natural rules of biological functioning, then both our consciousness and wills are similarly determined. We can choose to walk or not walk, to run or not run, but we can’t choose to fly, because our bodily structures and functions do not facilitate flying. We can’t even choose to be hungry or not hungry. We didn’t choose to make ourselves come alive nor can we choose to stop aging. We can’t even choose to hold our breaths indefinitely or to stop our own hearts from beating. Our free will is limited by our biological operational functions and parameters. 

Beyond behavioral choices, we also have the freedom of imagination. We can conjure pictures of reality and project scenes, scenarios, and models, that are the creations of our own minds. This also is an expression of free will. 

So what have we determined so far? 

We have will and choices as conscious aware beings.

Our wills and choices have underlying biological system determinants and drivers.

Our wills and choices are limited by several factors so cannot be deemed to be absolutely free.

The scope and choice options  available to us can be wider or narrower depending on our levels of relevant knowledge and awareness, our intellectual or reasoning capacity, and our investment of time and energies in the decision-making process. 

If we are to gain the most of our limited free wills, it would seem prudent to invest as much as possible in getting relevant information, deeply examining our available choice options, and imaginatively, logically, and strategically, analyzing the likely outcomes of our choices to ensure that they will lead to where we want to be. 

It is also wise to keep in mind that beyond understanding the limits of human will and the best ways to exercise and expand our intelligent choice options, we are all driven at deep psychological and biological levels by natural existential and survival imperatives, expressed through our sub-conscious or instinctive drivers and reflex behaviors and routines. We are not just driven by conscious intellectual choices. 

Intelligent strategic living requires an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of this reality, if we are to make conscious choices and expressions of will that manage our more primitive and potentially harmful drives. We can’t just will away our hunger,  or thirst, or anger, or pain, or defensive or aggressive instincts, or sexual feelings, or social needs. Many humans and even organized social and religious groups have struggled to live lives of choices that either ignore or directly respond to suppress these powerful biological factors that drive human existence. Seclusion, celibacy, nuclear families structures, vows of poverty or purity, strict food diets, daily prayer, meditation, scripture readings, rituals and exercises, have all been used in attempts to control the human desires and wills that run counter to social expectations and aspirations. 

Our exercise of human will must therefore account and allow for conscious choices and the will to control and even suppress instincts, impulses, desires, and inclinations, that if expressed or pursued, may be harmful to self and others in the context of our wider or more long-term strategic or social interests and benefits. This requires strong and sophisticated exercises of will and decision-making. Most humans at some points fall short of this kind of will management. However, there are ways to actively and purposefully strengthen and manage our wills. Understanding the human will and how it operates is the first step. 

For more exploration on exercising and effectively managing our own wills, EgoPilot offers discussions, insights, tools, and strategies that can lead to optimizing our own will power and managing our wills by making more informed, intelligent, and strategic choices.  The human power of will drives achievements and successes. Our wills can energize our deep motivations and can push us toward our goals in life, even when there are big challenges and obstacles. 

If we can see the benefits of better understanding and harnessing the power of the human will and choose to invest in developing our own will powers, perhaps EgoPilot can help. EgoPilot is an approach to personal development based on true self understanding and reality-driven thinking. It can help us leverage our awareness of our inner functions, strengths, and choices, to become more productive and effective in achieving our important life goals in our actual physical and social environments.