Group Articles: "Does Free Will Exist?"; "There's No Such Thing as Free Will"; "Why the Classical Argument Against Free Will Is a Failure"

 Article link: Does Free Will Exist?


I was surprised to find that this article (or rather, another video, technically) featured one of the same philosophers as this group's video choice, but I was disappointed to find that it was Alfred Mele who I personally found to be the least interesting (a somewhat kinder way of saying "most boring") of the group. Additionally, he pretty much discusses in this article all the same exact stuff he discussed in the video so I don't think I really learned anything new.


Article link: There's No Such Thing as Free Will


I find this article significantly more interesting because it argues the opposite of what everyone so desperately wants to be true. Not only that, but even seems to use the exact same evidence as those who believe free will does exist except to prove that it doesn't exist. For example, Alfred Mele discussed Benjamin Libet's experiment in both the previous article and the group video. He used it to support the claim that free will does exist (but is still a largely complex concept). This article discusses the exact same experiment, except in such a way to argue the opposite.

Another thing this article mentioned that I find interesting is how the concept of free will is no longer just a laboratory discussion and has become mainstream. This is obvious to anyone who's on social media. From TikTok to Twitter, whether it started as a meme or a joke or is actually a genuine belief, we see many conspiracy theories and glitch-in-the-matrix deep-dives about the world actually being a simulation or maybe we're all just hallucinating or lucid dreaming or something else that might strip us of our free will. Though to me, those theories seem rather farfetched.

Lastly, even if free will doesn't exist it would be better for us to continue believing it does. According to the article, numerous experiments have shown that people who don't believe in free will are more likely to commit immoral acts because they no longer see themselves as blameworthy. So whether or not free will actually exists, the very act of believing that it does is enough to keep the world in order.


Article link: Why the Classical Argument Against Free Will Is a Failure


The start of this article already has me thinking. Mainly, I don't the idea of determinism. The idea that the entire history of the universe is predetermined and everything is planned out for us is basically the reason why I'm an atheist. I don't like thinking that I don't have a choice in any matter or aspect of my life whatsoever. If everything is already planned out for me then does that mean that even the act of writing this very reflection was predetermined? I don't buy it.

Another thing that stood out to me upon reading this article is how adamant some people are about arguing against free will. To me personally, the absence of free will is a genuinely frightening idea to me. Yet free will opposers will go to such great lengths to prove their theory. It makes me question why some people just straight-up don't want free will. What would they have to gain from the absence of free will?

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