Free Will

 

Do we have FREE WILL?

What is FREE WILL?

Free will is the philosophical concept that humans have the ability to make choices and determine their own actions, independent of prior causes or external constraints like fate or divine intervention. The existence and nature of free will are debated, with determinism suggesting all actions are predetermined, while libertarian views emphasize self-determination.

What are our choices, determinism or self-Determination?

IF we look at our choices through a RELIGIOUS LENS, what do we see?

God gave us free will while on the other side of the coin, we know it is God's Will that needs to be obeyed, not our own.  So, if we believe in God's Will, do we forfeit our own.  Is that what Jesus did on the cross when he allowed himself to die because it was God's Will not his own will?

If we look at our choices through another lens...  what do we see?

Let's suppose we have a CREATOR, not a GOD but a creator and this creator lives on the edge of our universe and sees everything:  past - present - future, if our lives have already been observed womb to tomb, were the choices made really a result of free will?

Now...   here is another scenario...

We have free will to make any choice in the world that we want to make, as long as we are willing to pay the price (consequences - intended or otherwise) for those choices.  That makes a lot of sense to me.

Free Will = Choices = Consequences

However, what if we do not want to pay the consequences of our choices, so we are manipulated into making another choice which really wasn't the choice we wanted to make...

Did we still exercise FREE WILL?

Some will say yes while others will say no.

Making choices is making choices regardless of outside influences, right?

Can one live one's entire life without making choices?

Deciding not to make a choice, is, in fact, making a choice not to act.