Free Will

Originally posted by wafflehead ↑

That's of course the $64,000 question.

This is a very deep rabbit hole. The concept of Free Will in the sense that is being debated here, is one that has religious connotations.

God needing to validate sending somebody to heaven or hell firstly had to give them the right of free agency when choosing between good and evil, right or wrong, or the least wrong in a difficult situation. This then made God just, because humans, by their actions, would have delivered themselves to their fate. Free Will therefore has moral, religious overtones, whereby the individual is demonstrating their faith and devotion to God, obedience to the Prophet and fulfilling the ordinances of Scripture against the desires of the self.

The basis of Free Will is a belief in God and choices and behaviour tempered by that belief. Behaviour concomitant with the moral codes of Scriptural belief. It would, in a black and white world, be the application of the, 10 Commandments, beyond this in the predominating grey areas of life are choices that moral life experience it is hoped, will assist in the exercise of a positive use of Free Will.

Now of course morality exists outside religious belief and if any of this is real, then choices have the same consequences both in and out of belief, although I imagine a religious authority frigging around with a child is a whole, red button flashing category of, you're gonna' burn in hell. Politicians and police officers via a gross abnegation of their oath to office would also, one expects, have a massive void in the spirits.

As such choices here are called choices, not Free Will, but the point remains, in moral decisions humans have an element of free agency and this tiny amount of free agency is the measure of a human.

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"The concept of Free Will in the sense that is being debated here, is one that has religious connotations."

Why limit this to the religious or moral field ?
Certainly as you say, one "definition" of free will is that attribute required in order that punishment/reward can be justified for choosing what is considered the right choice in one's society/religion.

Religions tell people they are free to choose by exercising their free will but then surround them with a raft of required behaviour and attitudes backed up with extreme reward and punishment.

Christianity even says that Humans are by nature sinners and only Jesus can save them. Again with extreme reward/punishment for missing the mark.
Others say that it is God's Will that must be accepted and followed to earn a desirable reward rather than terrible punishment.

Religions acknowledge that people must be trained preferably from early childhood, in appropriate behaviour and attitude. This is reinforced by the daily practice of that religion.

The religious version of free will is not just a rabbit hole but an imaginary giant rabbit warren !

Would all this be necessary if people actually had free will ?

Apart from religion and the rules of society, has there ever been a need for free will more than in our current society where obesity/alcohol/drug addiction/poor lifestyle/need for counseling for everything that happens etc, is pandemic.
In general not only is there no sign of free will but virtually no evidence of any sort of will.

Even some academics and researchers though convinced of the illusory notion of free will go soft on this because of the consequences of telling people they have no say over their own actions.

Can we say that "will" is an inner force to enable the doing of a particular action ?
It can be invoked consciously or far more commonly is simply part of the automatic and habitual processes of life.
Life goes on and people behave as they must in a basically deterministic way.

Free will however could act independently of habitual inner habits including the ordinary ego, moral beliefs, emotional, thinking functions etc and some external conditions.
It cannot act contrary to the Laws of The Universe and so is actually "only" relatively free.

However, this would require a separate "higher self" in direct contact with genuine conscience which is sufficiently developed and present in order for this impartiality to oneself to be possible.
Clearly this is exceptional and very uncommon.

Make sure not to tell this to anyone who thinks they are the master of their own destiny or you will be crucified.

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