TPF : Free Will

[Gnomon]

Free will
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/503684

I wish to see a compelling argument that makes thinking of free will as a possibility without the use of some outside power. — Barondan

The question of FreeWill came up in a thread on Religious Belief. One common modern "scientific" argument against Freewill in general (not specifically religious choice) is the findings of Benjamin Libet's experiments on voluntary acts. A common interpretation of those results was to conclude that the body had already chosen to act before the mind became conscious of its own intention to act. Hence, "freewill is an illusion". But Libet himself left open the possibility of minimal freedom, in the form of a final conscious Veto of the body's subconscious decision to act. For me, that narrowly-limited-freedom-to-choose is sufficient to validate our intuitive feeling of moral & functional Freedom. It's what I call "FreeWill within Determinism".

I'm not sure what you meant by "outside power". Are you referring to a divine gift of Free Will? My notion of Freewill is not based on any scriptural authority, but on the role of Randomness in Evolution. My later post on that same thread gives my reasoning.

FWIW, here's a link to my reply on the Religious Belief thread : https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/503419

Conscious-will could thus affect the outcome of the volitional process even though the latter was initiated by unconscious cerebral processes. Conscious-will might block or veto the process, so that no act occurs.The existence of a veto possibility is not in doubt.
___Benjamin Libet, the 'freewill' experiment
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... ill%3F.pdf


Rationalism versus Fatalism : Freewill Within Determinism
http://bothandblog2.enformationism.info/page67.html

PS___Here's a discussion on "apparent randomness :
Apparent randomness is strong evidence for the existence of free will :
https://www.kialo.com/apparent-randomne ... -5685.2309

[Gnomon]

Libet's experiment and its irrelevance to free will
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/504987

There are many - and almost invariably they lack any expertise in philosophy - who think that a famous experiment performed by Benjamin Libet somehow disproves that we have free will. Unsurprisingly, they're wrong. — Bartricks

Libet's experiment was discussed in the FreeWill thread : https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/503684

Note : even Libet did not claim that his experiment disproved freewill. See link below. But it seems that our conscious freedom may sometimes be limited to a final Veto over the subconscious action potential. In other words, the body has already made up its mechanical mind, but the freethinking Mind still has the final word : yes or no. It ain't much, but it's not nothing.

"Conscious-will could thus affect the outcome of the volitional process even though the latter was initiated by unconscious cerebral processes. Conscious-will might block or veto the process, so that no act occurs.The existence of a veto possibility is not in doubt."
___Benjamin Libet, the 'freewill' experiment
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... ill%3F.pdf

[Gnomon]

Are you disputing that many, many, many, people think Libet's experiment disproves free will? — Bartricks

No. I was just linking to another TPF thread on a similar topic. You are free to draw your own conclusion.