Do you believe in free will?

[NoMoreFaith]

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.

Never seen determinism as ever separating the "you" from your biological. Quite the opposite. Are you sure this is standard? I had to google around and never once saw a definition which separated the "you" from the effects of your body and environment.

Could you cite the sources for this standard definition? I checked dictionary, philosophy sites.

Certainly to me, determinism means no such thing as "I" am separate from my biological mind, and is wholly caused by it.

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.

This is more a description of the illusion of free will than actual free will.

To coin a phrase, you are free to do what you will, but you are not free to will what you will.

EDIT: It has been mentioned however, that the illusion of free will and actual free will are as indistinguishable as to be irrelevant.