Solving Free-Will VS Determinism

In this essay, I’ll explain the relationship between Free Will and Determinism. Briefly put, will isn’t “free,” as it has clear limits we’ll explore. Rather, our will expands and contracts in scope, nested within a sea of determinism.

What’s “Free Will”?

Free will is “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion.”

This frames our question a bit: “Is it possible to act independently of necessity and fate?” The modern version could be: “Is it possible to act independently of Determinism?” This is actually a pretty easy question to answer.

Determined space

The easiest way to “bind will” is to show what’s definitely determined. We have to act according to the laws of physics, on earth, speaking only the languages we understand. In this moment, we have a limited amount of physical strength, knowledge, and intelligence at our disposal. For example, I can’t will a revolution in quantum computation because I lack the knowledge and intelligence to do so, but I can will some buttered toast and a Medium essay.

In addition to capacity limits, we can only “do” what’s salient to us right now. So you can’t consciously choose to do something that doesn’t come up as a choice in your mind…