Am I simply the sum total of all my experiences and my biological makeup?

Poll - Total Votes: 3

Yes, there is no free will

No, we make our own fate

You can only vote on one answer.

Is each choice a make just a reactionary response to the sum of my chemical and biological makeup and every environmental experience I have endured since I remember?

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QuixoticSoul · 41-45, M

I suspect that the day to day conscious experience of free will is mostly an illusion, and much of it made up after the fact. But over a longer period we have real conscious impact on how our cognition works, as we shape our mental landscape slowly, day by day. Life is made up of habits, small and large, physical and mental - and it is those habits that we have the greatest ability to shape consciously.

Tuscan · 70-79, M

I have always suspected that we only have the illusion of free will, every choice we make is based on the sum of experiences up to that point.

Challenger1 · M

@Tuscan But does not the very fact that our belief in whether or not we have free will changes the outcome prove that there is indeed free will?

Tuscan · 70-79, M

@Challenger1 I don't think it is possible to prove one way or the other. Until we have a better understanding of space/time itself and a workable unified field theory any argument either way could be refuted. I am quite happy to accept it is possible that free will is an illusion whilst at the same time acting on every decision I make as if I do in fact have free will. After all we are quite happy to apply a doctrine of duality to particle and wave physics which are mutually exclusive , so why can't we just live with a similar free will/predestiny duality.

Challenger1 · M

@Tuscan I like your last point there, it is valid.

SophieDavies14 · 18-21, F

Yes, but of course there is free will, even I know that, asshole

Challenger1 · M

@SophieDavies14 But if I am nothing but the sum of my experience is not every choice pre-decided by what came before it? Is it not a forgone conclusion of what I will choose because I was always going to chose it because of what I went through.

SophieDavies14 · 18-21, F

you talk crap

Challenger1 · M

@SophieDavies14 All the time or just in this instance?

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