I'm jumping in here a little late and I haven't completely read through all the arguments, so I'm not sure if this has been presented before or not. However, here's my take on the subject.
First of all, free-will is usually presented as a part of free-will-determinism dichotomy, that is an extension of mind-body dichotomy, something that I reject completely.
For example, a standard description of determinism goes as - your actions are a result of forces and events separate and apart from you - whether those be your life-experiences, your biological makeup or your environment. This argument presents a "you" as entity separate and independent of your environment, your experiences and your biological makeup. While it is not explicitly stated to avoid religious connotations, it presents "you" as a disembodied, non-physical soul.
By the same standard, the most common explanation of free-will also presents "you" as a soul - but one that can affect the physical reality as well and is not constrained to simply being affected by it. Both these positions require the existence of reality-independent "soul" (you). This makes it a loaded question.
So, when I'm asked if I believe in free-will, i.e., if my actions are the result of predertmined, external forces beyond my control or are they my own, my question would be "what do you mean by "I"?"
My position is that "I" (alternatively referred to as my sense of self, my self, my spirit or my soul), is an emergent property of my biological makeup, my experiences and environment. Since "I" is not independent of reality "I" live in, neither can the my actions. Otherwise, "I" would be able to simply sprout wings and fly off. Free will does not mean that my will should be free from reality - that it should be free from law of identity or causality. It simply means that it should not be wholly determined by forces external to me.
But my biological make-up, my experiences and my environment are not external to me, they are a part of me, as are my thoughts and my emotions. None of them individually could be the whole of me and I wouldn't be me with any of them missing. So, my actions are determined by me - they are a result of my will.
So, when asked if I believe in free-will, I answer, yes I do - to the extent that freedom means relative independence from forces external to me and not freedom from reality.
First of all, free-will is usually presented as a part of free-will-determinism dichotomy, that is an extension of mind-body dichotomy, something that I reject completely.
For example, a standard description of determinism goes as - your actions are a result of forces and events separate and apart from you - whether those be your life-experiences, your biological makeup or your environment. This argument presents a "you" as entity separate and independent of your environment, your experiences and your biological makeup. While it is not explicitly stated to avoid religious connotations, it presents "you" as a disembodied, non-physical soul.
By the same standard, the most common explanation of free-will also presents "you" as a soul - but one that can affect the physical reality as well and is not constrained to simply being affected by it. Both these positions require the existence of reality-independent "soul" (you). This makes it a loaded question.
So, when I'm asked if I believe in free-will, i.e., if my actions are the result of predertmined, external forces beyond my control or are they my own, my question would be "what do you mean by "I"?"
My position is that "I" (alternatively referred to as my sense of self, my self, my spirit or my soul), is an emergent property of my biological makeup, my experiences and environment. Since "I" is not independent of reality "I" live in, neither can the my actions. Otherwise, "I" would be able to simply sprout wings and fly off. Free will does not mean that my will should be free from reality - that it should be free from law of identity or causality. It simply means that it should not be wholly determined by forces external to me.
But my biological make-up, my experiences and my environment are not external to me, they are a part of me, as are my thoughts and my emotions. None of them individually could be the whole of me and I wouldn't be me with any of them missing. So, my actions are determined by me - they are a result of my will.
So, when asked if I believe in free-will, I answer, yes I do - to the extent that freedom means relative independence from forces external to me and not freedom from reality.
