There are a lot of people who think we have free will. Their explanations range from divine decree to belief in minds or souls. But they miss a fundamental contradiction in this assumption. If I had free will, truly, I could choose to give it up. Then I would not be free. Not being free, it is possible that freedom could be forced back upon me. After all, it happened once, why not again? So how free can I be when my free choice to give up freedom might easily be canceled out as soon as it is made? The notion of freedom automatically leads to an absurdity: the idea of a free being who can will the conditions of unfreedom. Like the idea of all powerful god who can create a rock so massive that even she can’t lift it.
January 16, 2017 by m4u
metonymy4u 
Our actions and decisions are determined by our bias and preconceived notions .. so we are truly not free.. unless we make a bold step to make a decision different from what our biases would dictate . It is possible but not probable..
Hi Noel, thanks for your comment! I often like to consider a related, yet distinct possibility, namely that our biases and preconceived notions might be the effect, rather than the cause, of our actions. I think that engaging in different actions, therefore, is one way to take that bold step you speak of. There are data that indicate that very simple events (e.g. holding a warm cup of coffee) can have a profound effect on our perceptions and biases. One of the reasons that I push myself to try new experiences…within certain bounds! (Haven’t tried extreme skiing or sky diving yet!) cheers!
That’s exactly what doing new things would do: to create new bias and concepts about different situations .. for example, visiting a different country could change my views about that particular culture … exposure to different situations opens new doors to different attitudes and therefore experiences.