Does Free Will exist?

The question, “What is consciousness?” has been called a “hard problem” because consciousness is difficult to identify, define, measure, categorize, and locate in the brain.

Some people use the word “awareness,” thinking they have answered the question, but awareness is just a synonym that merely shifts the question to “What is awareness.”

For centuries, philosophers and physical scientists have debated the possible consciousness of entities such as a sleeping person, an “unconscious” person, a dog, a fish, a bee, a tree, a flower, a bacterium, an electron, a rock, the earth, the universe, a fire, etc.

Some claim consciousness only occurs in a brain or nerves, definitions that omit the awareness of trees to pathogens, and the signals trees give and receive when attacked by diseases, bugs, and even humans.

I suggest that if we argue about something, we at least should be able to identify the thing we’re arguing about, and not give it a vague, non-specific, moving-target identity, that will cause further confusion.

In previous posts — Is A Rock Conscious, What is the Measure of Consciousness? and Be more creative and exercise your brain by working the so-called “hard problems,” — we describe consciousness as the perception of, and the reaction to, stimuli.

Everything perceives and reacts to stimuli, and this perception and reaction can be measured. No mystical, magical, “my-intuition-is-better-than-your-ition” silliness.

It’s perception and reaction. They are simple, straightforward, measurable, and comparable among entities.

It’s a definition that allows for discussions about which entities have more consciousness than others, without resorting to the mysticism of the unknowable.

And that brings us to “What is free will.”

It’s become an even harder problem than “What is consciousness” because while consciousness exists, free will doesn’t.

“Free will” is defined as “the ability to act at one’s own discretion,” but “discretion” needs a definition.

I suggest that when people claim they have free will or act at their own discretion, they mean that their discretion is independent of any physical, chemical, or electrical stimulus and is a product of pure reason.

If you have a better definition of free will, please let me know what it is.

Meanwhile, I suggest that free will is an illusion. It does not exist.

You are not the master of your brain. Your brain is the master of you, and its operation is based on its chemistry, electricity, and structure.

That is how you make your choices. Don’t think your choices are made by some mysterious inner voice that somehow is not connected to the cells and chemicals in your brain.

Test your opinion against these thoughts:

1. Does a drunk have “free will”? No, because the artificial chemicals in his brain make him alter his behavior.

2. Does an obese person have difficulty losing weight even when they want to? Yes, the natural chemicals in his cells make him eat more or what he knows he shouldn’t.” Free will?

3. Can fear change your brain chemistry and make you shake, make your heart pump, and make you forget what you wanted to say? Free will?

4. Have you ever experienced a so-called “earworm,” a song that makes you keep humming it, even when you would like to forget it. Free will?

5. Is it free will that makes you toss and turn and stay awake when you are worrying but desperately want to sleep? Free will?

6. Addiction and substance dependence hijacks the brain’s reward system and makes you demand more and more. Free will?

7. Phobias: Irrational fears control your behavior, making you do things you otherwise wouldn’t do. Free will?

8. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Compulsions make you do things beyond your control. Free will?

9. PTSD: Traumatic experiences trigger involuntary responses and behaviors. Free will?

10. Depression: Chemical imbalances cause hopelessness and lack of motivation. Free will?

11. Schizophrenia: Delusions and hallucinations overpower rational decision-making. Free will?

12. Stress: Cortisol release impacts decision-making and behavior under pressure. Free will?

13, Hormonal Imbalances: Conditions like thyroid issues can affect mood and behavior. Free will?

14. Dementia: Cognitive decline disrupts reasoning and decision-making abilities. Free will?

15, Medication Side Effects: Drugs can alter mood and behavior, impacting decisions. Free will?

16. Social Conditioning: Lifelong habits and beliefs formed by society influence choices. Free will?

In each case I have bolded words (“make,” “involuntary, “cause,” “overpower,” “impact,” “affect,” “disrupt,” “alter,” and “influence”) to indicate changes of your decisions and your actions against your free will.

These examples illustrate how brain chemistry and external factors often override what we perceive as free will.

Stop for a moment and try to think about all your decisions, actions, preferences and beliefs that are based strictly on your free will, and not in opposition.

How often have you used words indicating your lack of free will? I couldn’t help myself getting angry. I simply had to eat that cake. I knew it was dumb to buy that dress, but I did it anyway.

Your decision-making is not based on magic. It is based on the chemicals, electrical signals, and physical structure of your brain. If you are smart, you will make better decisions than if you are not. But what makes you bright?

As you age from newborn to child, teenager to adult, and elderly, you’re still the same human being, and you still feel you have free will. But your brain chemistry and structure change, along with your experiences and your desires.

In old age, why do you look back and think of the stupid things you did as a teenager? Why did you do them? Your desires were affected by your brain’s chemicals, electrical signals and physical structure, all of which change daily.

The phrase, “I don’t feel like it, today” — we all have said it on occasion — but why don’t we feel like it today, but did feel like it yesterday? Perhaps it’s your hormones that are making decisions for you:

Cortisol is released in response to stress. Prolonged high levels can lead to memory issues and mood disorders.

Thyroid Hormones are vital for brain development and function. They regulate metabolism and are crucial for cognitive processes..

Estrogen and Testosterone influence brain regions involved in learning, memory, sexual behaviors, and emotion processing.

Insulin affects neuronal activity and brain function by regulating blood sugar levels.

Melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is important for maintaining circadian rhythms

Serotonin plays a key role in mood regulation, sleep, and appetite.

Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, and motor control. Imbalances can be linked to schizophrenia.

Ghrelin and Leptin regulate hunger and satiety, influencing eating behaviors and energy balance

Any changes in any of these hormones and you will think and act differently?

See: Hormones Affect Our Physiology and Behavior

Parents often blame their teenager’s unpredictable behavior on hormones, but those molecules play a crucial role in the brain.

Neurons can quickly deliver the brain’s messages to precise targets in the body. Hormones, on the other hand, deliver messages more slowly but can affect a larger set of tissues, producing large-scale changes in metabolism, growth, and behavior.

The brain is one of the tissues that “listens” for hormonal signals — neurons throughout the brain are studded with hormone receptors — and the brain’s responses play an important part in regulating hormone secretion and changing behaviors to keep body systems in equilibrium. 

Have you ever heard the term amygdala hijack“?

Psychologist Daniel Goleman first used the term “amygdala hijacking” in his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.”

It refers to situations wherein the amygdala hijacks control of a person’s ability to respond rationally to a threat. This leads to the person reacting in an intense, emotional way that may be disproportionate to the situation.

Without the ability to use their frontal lobes, people are unable to think clearly, and they are not in control of their responses.

The amygdala triggers the release of hormones as part of the fight-or-flight reaction to a threat.

Amygdala hijack takes place when the structure triggers the fight-or-flight reaction when it is not warranted. The person is then unable to come to their own rational conclusion about how to react.

The amygdala causes the adrenal glands to release the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline causes the air passages in the body to dilate. This allows the body to supply more oxygen than usual to the muscles.

This hormone also causes the blood vessels to contract, allowing the body to redirect blood to the major muscle groups, including the heart and lungs.

The release of adrenaline also causes the pupils to dilate, thereby enhancing a person’s vision.

During the fight-or-flight response process, the body also increases its blood sugar levels in order to increase energy levels.

All of these reactions allow a person to fight the danger more effectively or to flee from it if necessary.

During amygdala hijack, a person may react in a way that they could regret later. This may include being aggressive, argumentative, or violent in a manner that is dramatically out of proportion to the situation.

When I attend a scary movie, and a monster leaps into a close-up, I involuntarily jump and my heart races. When I view a sex scene, I may be aroused. A chase scene might make my heart beat faster. A sad scene might depress me. All of this is automatic and involuntary.

Do you still think you have Free Will?

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Source: https://mythfighter.com/2024/10/16/does-free-will-exist/