Some musings on Free Will.
C.S. Lews supposedly said "You ARE a Soul you HAVE a body." Basically this suggests that the soul is the important bit and the body, while nice, doesn't matter overly much in the long run. It is going to be worm food anyway. I have always liked this as a notion of free will. Biology only determines so much, your soul decides what type of person you
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However, biology is very, very messy. While I might have the strong probability of becoming an alcoholic based on my genes, I know this because of my family history and choose not to drink. Your biology only increases the probability that certain things will happen (which granted, probably has a larger effect than most people realize), but does not write them in stone. While a Christian (of sorts), I personally hate the whole body/soul Cartesian dichotomy type thing. Why can't the soul be shaped by our biology and vise-versa? The amazing synergy of it all should be a cause for hope, not despair.
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There is nothing inconsistent with areligious, aspiritual, or athiestic people who find in favor of free will.
And I do. We know we can learn, not just facts, but modify our brain chemistry, the way we feel about things. If I convince you that you cannot change your life, you are less likely to do so, but if I convince you the opposite, or you get tired of feeling impotent you are more likely to change your life.
I don't think the computer you worry about can exist at least not perfectly accurate, due to quantum indeterminacy. However that doesn't really answer the question of free will either way. Further I don't think the matter can be known either way, whatsoever. You can know what decisions you made, and the reasons you did, but you can't ever know what your decisions in the future will be, or else you would certainly never agonize over them ( ... )
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