Free Will?

Feb 19, 2008 life

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I’ve been subscribed to UC Berkeley’s social psychology podcast.

This, combined with a number of other things (like watching Numb3rs a lot) has got me thinking. And this is what interests me the most about the course.

And I’d like to throw the question out there. Do we really have free will?

Yes, we do have choices and all. But to an extent, aren’t there specific psychological and social adaptations in us that make us behave in a certain way? And aren’t our thoughts and feelings the result of neurons/chemical interactions in our brains?

Just questions I’d like to throw out. What are your thoughts?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 10:50 pm and is filed under life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
  • http://middlezonemusings.com/ Robert Hruzek

    Yes, we DO have free will. Sure, you can make a case for chemical, social, or historical influence on what choices we make, but they still remain just that – choices.

    Robert Hruzek's last blog post..Dog Gone

  • http://middlezonemusings.com/ Robert Hruzek

    Yes, we DO have free will. Sure, you can make a case for chemical, social, or historical influence on what choices we make, but they still remain just that – choices.

    Robert Hruzek’s last blog post..Dog Gone

  • Derrick Kwa

    Hm. But if it be easily pre-determined and all, how free is it really?

  • Derrick Kwa

    Hm. But if it be easily pre-determined and all, how free is it really?

  • http://middlezonemusings.com/ Robert Hruzek

    If that's the case, you're not talking about free will, but cause-and-effect. When a choice is still possible, then free will comes into play.

    Robert Hruzek's last blog post..4 Fundamentals to Overcome the Fear of Change

  • http://middlezonemusings.com/ Robert Hruzek

    If that’s the case, you’re not talking about free will, but cause-and-effect. When a choice <i>is still possible</i>, then free will comes into play.

    Robert Hruzek’s last blog post..4 Fundamentals to Overcome the Fear of Change

  • Derrick Kwa

    Hm. Yeah, I guess.

    I guess I'm thinking more along the lines of…how free "free will" actually is.

    For example, if you program a robot with an AI. A path finding program (to find the shortest path), for example. When it hits an intersection, it has a 'choice'. But the choice it makes is predetermined based on certain conditions, and the way the program is designed.

    Is it possible to say that we're the same way – albeit more complex?

  • Derrick Kwa

    Hm. Yeah, I guess.

    I guess I’m thinking more along the lines of…how free "free will" actually is.

    For example, if you program a robot with an AI. A path finding program (to find the shortest path), for example. When it hits an intersection, it has a ‘choice’. But the choice it makes is predetermined based on certain conditions, and the way the program is designed.

    Is it possible to say that we’re the same way – albeit more complex?

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