Do You Have Free Will?
You're free to decide for yourself
Here’s one big question that has endured through centuries of philosophy and science: Do humans have free will? Whenever we make a choice in the world (e.g “I’ll have pizza rather than pasta”), it feels like we make that choice freely—we are aware of our mind fluctuating between options and then settling on one of them. However, the truth is more complicated because there are many other processes unfolding outside our awareness. Are we really free if forces outside our conscious control ultimately determine our choices?
The science of free will
Scientists generally agree that our “free choices” are determined by factors outside our awareness. I don’t just mean our genes and our childhood experiences. I also mean the unconscious brain activity that determines which intentions and desires surface into our conscious mind. Before you think, “I fancy a pizza”, brain activity related to fancying pizzas has already brewed before producing your conscious intention. Neuroscientists have repeatedly shown that they can analyze your brain activity and predict your choices before you make any choice yourself. In other words, next time you’re hungry, let my brain scanner tell you whether to order pasta or pizza.
But does any of this actually mean we don’t have free will? So-called compatibilists would argue no. The only thing that matters is whether you are capable of making rational decisions in response to the world around you. If you’re sleeping, you’re not rational and therefore have less free will than someone who is awake. Similarly, if you’re suffering from a brain tumor that makes you severely impulsive, you’re less rational and free than someone who is healthy. The boundaries between healthy and unhealthy are complicated and always evolving. But the important point is that we can hold on to moral responsibility, as long as we understand that it doesn’t mean we have a conscious spirit living in our head that makes decisions before our brain does. All of our decisions are ultimately the product of a long sequence of biology, experience, and luck.
Where do your thoughts come from?
Here’s a fun mental exercise I love to do while meditating. It reminds me of my general lack of control over my thoughts and desires, and helps me to let go of negative emotions that occasionally float across my body:
Set a timer for 5 minutes and close your eyes. Pay attention to the contents of your mind during this 5 minutes. When a thought emerges, where did it come from? Did you choose to think it? Why did that thought emerge rather than another thought? Can you stop your thoughts? Where do your thoughts go when you focus your attention on them? Consider the same questions with any emotional feelings that emerge.
During the exercise, you may notice that thoughts and emotions come out of nowhere. At one moment, there’s a blank canvas in your mind; the next, there’s a seemingly random thought or feeling that emerges with no explanation. This is because every experience comes from a biological event that you’re blind to: some brain cells firing. Your entire life is like this but you only notice your lack of control if you pay attention. The idea that free will is an illusion doesn’t seem so crazy when you notice the actual flow of your experiences.
Repeat the same process of monitoring your thoughts and emotions, but this time for 5 minutes with your eyes open. Some people actually find this task easier, and it’s something you can easily do during a walk or on a commute without looking weird.
The exercise of monitoring your thoughts and emotions is one of the fundamentals of mindfulness. When you pay careful attention to individual experiences, you realize that they come and go relatively quickly. No thought or emotion stays with you forever! So next time you feel sad, anxious, or angry, don’t try to suppress it and don’t get lost in it either. Simply pay attention to what it feels like in the moment, and know that it’s a natural and temporary experience that you don’t need to panic or obsess over.
Even if we’re free, we’re still predictable
Here’s a great little video from the trickster Derren Brown, who is trying to outwit his opponent in a game of “guess whether this card says ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on it”. When there’s £1000 on the line, do you think you could avoid behaving predictably?
That final quote
The final quote today goes to the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer:
“Man can do what he wants, but he cannot want what he wants” [original German: “Der Mensch kann tun was er will; er kann aber nicht wollen was er will”]
We often feel free when we choose to do something we want, but when we reflect on why we want it in the first place, it’s difficult to explain! Why do I think Coca-Cola tastes better than Pepsi? Why do I prefer yoga over jogging? Why do I want to watch a film rather than a TV show today? The explanation for these kinds of wants is often outside our awareness, because our conscious will emerges from an unconscious source.
❤️Please spread the word among friends who might like The Brainlift by sharing this newsletter. If you’re new here, subscribe below or visit erman.substack.com ❤️