“Again, if all motion is always one long chain, and new motion arises out of the old in order invariable, and if the first-beginnings do not make by swerving a beginning of motion such as to break the decrees of fate, that cause may not follow cause from infinity, whence comes this freedom (‘libera’) in living creatures all over the earth, whence I say is this will (‘voluntas’) wrested from the fates by which we proceed whither pleasure leads each, swerving also our motions not at fixed times and fixed places, but just where our mind has taken us? For undoubtedly it is his own will in each that begins these things, and from the will movements go rippling through the limbs.” ~ Lucretius
Many early scientists viewed the universe as deterministic and felt that if you could collect sufficient information you could predict future events with perfect accuracy. Modern science, however, is a complex blend of deterministic and stochastic theories. Free will in theology has followed a similar pattern. Most early religions adhered to the notion of theological determinism, where a god through some form of omniscience determines everything that happens. Some modern religious adhere to the same principles, while others have developed a more complex view, allowing for the possibility of free will at some level.
It is interesting to note that even amongst our most eminent thinkers there is no consensus on the matter of free will. The argument doesn’t just center on the nature of free will, it also revolves around whether or not free will exists at all!
While I possess neither the time nor the capacity to sift through the many complex arguments for and against the existence of free will, my current belief is that man has the capacity of free will although it is underutilized and abused far too often. It is underused in the sense that many people move through their days without much focused conscious thought as they bounce from one circumstance to the next as slaves of their subconscious reactions and static prejudices. It is abused in the sense that the choices they make are not born of inner wisdom, but instead, they are made out of unreasoned emotional reaction to something happening in their lives.
What about you? Do you believe that free will exists? If so, how can it be put to better use?
Gregory Hake 
Gregg, that is an excellent observation and so true. Accept, adapt and live. The divine is in us (“the Kingdom of God is within”), but if only people would realize it.
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“Free will” is really quite limited, despite belief that we control ourselves and our lives. We think we have endless choices…until we try to make them. Each decision must not only be based on what we “want to do,” but also on our own capabilities and what is expected of us. Nature and society imprison us, whether we like it or not. The key to release is mystical realization. All in One and One in All, the divine unity, opens the gate between Heaven and Earth…between a universal consciousness and most people’s constrained awareness.
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You must learn to be free in your limitations before you can be free of your limitations. Struggle rarely helps in my experience!
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I do believe that free will exists, although not all that evidently, as the bulk of those present on earth, have never”Grown up” past the emotional subjection. On this basis we have emotional children in adult bodies proving repeatedly that the choice does not exist.
Which is the greatest challenge, because even the evidence of one who rises above, and reveals that there is a different way is almost immediately wrote off, through well engrained excuses, tactics, and patterns of judgemental rationalization.
Most aren’t even aware that their is a choice, as they aren’t in the driver seat.
If we are to reveal something different there needs, individaully to be consistant, deliberate revelation, that not only does the choice exist, but its easily accessible to any who will but make it.
There is tremendous strength in humility, all we need is more present who abide consistently within its comfort, which at first is uncomfortable, yet soon we discover that there is great fulfillment beyond what we have found comfortable.
And we are made free.
Thank-you for bringing this to point today!
May the tomorrows to come be more glorious because there are those willing to rise up and be!
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Reproving a bad rep can take time as people tend to lock in their judgments about you come hell or high water. Stay steady, stay true to the new course and you eventually will prevail!
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I also firmly believe that we have free will. Any other scenario smacks to me, at some level, of an inability or unwillingness to accept personal responsibility for one’s actions. Free will is not something to be taken lightly, it is a gift given to us in trust. It is also not something that can be taken away when abused, either. We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our actions within those circumstances. Our responsibility is to make the wise choice in those scenarios, and when we don’t, we have to deal with the backlash that comes from making the wrong choice. That is why it is important to make sure you understand how to access your natural wisdom, and I appreciate the assistance you provide towards that goal in these daily blog posts.
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I liked your point, Colin, that: “We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our actions within those circumstances. Our responsibility is to make the wise choice in those scenarios, and when we don’t, we have to deal with the backlash that comes from making the wrong choice.” Well put, mate!
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Denying free will or seeing it in a very limited way is an attractive ‘choice’ (oops!) because it erases any link to being responsible for unpleasant outcomes. some, of course, love to blame themselves for everything, in an odd twist of thought – “If it’s happening to you, you produced it.” Sometimes that notion creeps into the field of sales, where it is imagined that “if you can imagine it, you can have it,” or “if you don’t have it, it’s because you’re not imagining it” – variations on the theme!
Actually, I suppose most of the frantic activity of human philosophy and religious thought whirls around this very issue. Again, some like to comfort themselves with the thought that God’s will is ever-present, but then it seems that God, however conceived, must have produced every evil and abhorrent thing, along with a few ‘nice’ things in the mix. “Ah, so now we need the devil.” But how could God be omnipotent if He has to struggle with the devil? And on it goes.
It seems more sensible simply to assume responsibility where one may, recognizing that there is a great mixture of cause in our lives. I believe personally that there is another level of ‘will’ that has been ignored, an integrating Force that includes all without compromising individual creativity and uniqueness. Perhaps the first appropriate use of free will is to incline towards that Force, to listen openly and intently to the direction inherent there.
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It would be a simpler world if everything that happened to you did so as a result of your actions. The world is highly interconnected and waves of others’ actions regularly lap upon the shore of our immediate circumstances. In reply to your second paragraph I imagine it could be said that God’s power is ever-present, but His will must be translated through the body of humanity in general and the individuals that compose it in specific for it to be made known on earth. Call it God’s power, the power of life, the life force or the invisible hand of evolution, whatever. It must be given expression by people like you and me and in relation to our immediate circumstances for it to be made manifest.
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There is a momentum in our lives established by our early cicumstances, heredity and personal choices. Free will seems not to exist when we have not the strength or wisdom to counteract this momentum. In this case,we just succomb to the direction of the momentum and appear to have no power of free will. Unless we develop strength of character and are open to the flow of wisdom, free will reamins a potential gift.
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I like your description, Beth. Thanks! Some inherit more restrictive estates than others, but the point is that when everyone maximizes what they’re given the relative differences are no longer a point of contention, but cause for celebration!
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It seems to me a large part of people’s actions are initiated from habitual reactions to deeply subconscious belief. Even the most learned or those that would vehemently ridicule the teachings of their forebears are still influenced by their early tutelage. Sometimes it seems the louder one denies it the more they are affected by it. So while we may have free will I think much of it is embezzled by this subterranean instruction. The answer may lie in examining the results in our lives that we are able to view. If we see a repetitive theme we can address it by changing our outward behavior at the same time taking note of what is being said by our hearts.
Interesting post, thank you.
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