Do we really have free will?
By JosephP
@JosephP (1116)
Jamaica
October 14, 2011 8:57pm CST
Many believe that we have free will because they feel like they can choose what to do. For example you may say "yes I have free will because I can choose to respond to this discussion" but would you even be wondering this if this discussion was not written? Also whatever your choice is would be dependent on how curious/interested you are, so you would just be reacting to your feelings while thinking that you are really making a decision. Is free will just an illusion?
8 responses
@mac1946 (1602)
• Calgary, Alberta
15 Oct 11
Everyone's answers are quite on the mark,we all have free will,we just do not have the freedom to use it.
people seem to get the idea that they are right in knowing what is right for everyone,and have laws made to stop everyone else from being able to use their free will.
@ivanmarginal (675)
• Indonesia
15 Oct 11
No. Our free will is limited by other people's free will. So there will be no free will at all. Nobody got it. Free will is a myth in nowadays life. We tend to be a social creatures who have to press the free will. We must respect other people's will too. That's the way we should live.
@bird123 (10643)
• United States
15 Oct 11
We have total free will within the parameters of our lives. God sets the parameters geared toward the lessons we learn in life. If that means, I can't be a popular movie actor,so be it,however in time we will do it all and be it all,however not just in one lifetime.
@mantis36 (4219)
• Philippines
15 Oct 11
yes, i believe that everyone of us having a freewill of our own,
but it depends upon the law that exist to a certain country....
the objective is not to take freedom of others although we all have different freedoms....
not to take their liberty....
for example:
i can do shouting on my own, even though how loud my shouting voice, since i am the owner of myself and i can do whatever i want, i will be the one to decide if time to stop and rest....
but if this happen inside the public or private library then many of the readers there would be disturb if i shall continue my stupid shouts....
by that, i take their freedom, and what i did that is wrong......
@Triple0 (1904)
• Australia
15 Oct 11
We are gifted with free will, as humans we can choose whatever we do. That's why we have to make decisions and choose what is best for us. Of course there are many factors that restrict free will like what other people think, your emotions and the possible consequences. If we could all do whatever we wanted that would create a very dysfunctional society, people could choose to kill anyone they wanted and hurt who ever they wanted. So that's why we have restrictions to free will like our laws in society. Laws restrict the wrong decisions that we make with our free will and care free nature. So this will change our minds and later the decisions that we make. So we do have free will, we just got to control it.
@clearwater18 (695)
• Philippines
15 Oct 11
Yes, I do believe that we all have free will. We are given the freedom to choose what we want to do with our lives and how we want to live it.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
15 Oct 11
I think we do have free will to an extent. Alot of times things are already chosen for us though.