Why I don't believe in 'free will'

[athoughtfulman]

What I'm saying at least, is that the reason for choosing either the ravioli or steak are completely beyond you. There are thousands upon thousands of things which affect this choice, which cause it to be thousands of times less free than you think. From the last time you ate, to your mood, to what's easier to cook, to your emotions, to your hydration levels, to the chemicals in your brain, to what you had last night and the night before, and so on.

The point being that for every choice, there is next to infinite amount of reasons and choices/causes which lead you to making that choice. So instead of being completely free to choose between the steak or the ravioli, you are left with the illusion of that choice. What makes you decide one or the other is beyond both you and me.

Each choice you 'make' affects the next choice. But every choice is affected by thousands of things that we can't control. From other people, to other things, and so on. If you have a mind which can comprehend everything, then you might have some idea of what it actually feels like to be truly free. But really, we are all victims of our past, our genetic makeup, and our current state of mind.

Any choice, regardless of how tiny and ineffectual, was made under the influence of thousands of other things, hence the choice was not 'freely' chosen, but rather influenced by the thousands of other things.