Free Will is an Illusion, but maybe that’s a good thing.

The debate regarding free-will has been one of the longest debates in philosophy from the very beginning. Can we control our actions or are they merely reactions to external stimuli that far outreach our conscious control?

The idea that our actions are pre-determined by a complicated algorithm beyond human comprehension sure is a scary thought, but perhaps the intrinsic fear of not being in control can lead us to being more compassionate, empathetic, and overall better people. It is through this lack of belief that could possibly reshape not only how we view people, but how we can reform systems of justice in order to create the sort of peaceful society we all aim for.

In terms of free-will there are essentially two main positions, Determinist and believer in Free-Will. Believers in Free-will argue often distinguish between two types of causations when it comes to reality: Agent Causation and Event Causation. Unfortunately for the believers of Free-Will, Event Causation concedes the fact that all things in the physical world are caused by cause and effect.

For example, I throw my phone against the wall and it shatters. The physics regarding my phone shattering would be a result of Event Causation. The glass being broken is a result of the physical laws that govern our world the same way gravity does whenever you throw something in the air. Agent causation would pertain to my thought of throwing my phone against the wall.

The issue for Free-Will believers comes when it is time to explain Agent Causation. Why did I throw my phone? Even if someone could explain that it was due to me being angry about something, this still would be an argument in favor of Determinism because of its idea that things happen the way they were always going to happen anyway regardless of my personal choice.

Determinism is essentially the idea that all of our actions can be boiled down to cause and effect, both aspects that lie beyond our control thus negating the concept of Free-Will. Events leading up to other ones essentially happen without an individual being able to consciously control the options at hand.

In other words, the choices we make are the only ones we ever could have made given the external circumstances at play. Even if we were to understand the consequences of each action before we choose it, that would simply be another factor into the equation that leads to our choices thus negating the notion that we have Free-Will at all.

This idea that our choices are merely part of a bigger equation that we have no control over surely can be an almost depressing idea, yet it is through this sort of existential conundrum that we can learn to treat others with more compassion, forgiveness, and empathy.

Most people’s problem with a Determinist view on reality is that it gives off the feeling that all of humanity is merely robots, which certainly is an uncomfortable idea. Despite this, it also gives off the idea that we are robots with the ability to absorb an infinite number of influences that effectively contribute to our patterns of behavior.

That is to say, even if Free-Will is truly an illusion, it gives us the ability to morph our behavior through external influences that could have positive influences on society later down the road.

The determinist view on reality gives us a chance to view people not as evil but rather a consequence of a bad environment. Yet so often we don’t view people in this way. Because people generally believe in Free-Will, we so often view people’s shortcomings and misdeeds not as a mere consequence of external factors beyond control, but of some sadistic and deliberate action.

This perspective trickles down into our society, take for example our ideas regarding the justice system in the United States. We see people as conscious agents whose choices are their own, thus punishing said person would be the most appropriate course of action.

Yet statistics show that this sort of retributive form of punishment does little to not only deter crime, but in fact merely perpetuates it. Most people who go to prison end up going back within years of release which adds to the problem of overpopulated prisons that this country has.

The issue is that we believe in Free-Will even when logical reasoning points to it non-existence. Existential crisis aside society would be better off in viewing reality through the Determinist view, it offers us a chance to be more forgiving as well as empathetic. If we learn to view people as not evil but merely products of their environment we can learn to change those environments which consequentially changes the individual.

There’s evidence to suggest this actually works in a pragmatic sense when it comes to our justices systems. In countries where forms of restorative justice are mostly used, the crime rates are significantly lower. It also bares noting that the re-offending rate is also significantly lower.

The idea that Free-Will does or does not merely only have to be limited to our systems of justice, but also the manner in which we treat one another. An example of this is someone who may have said a hurtful word or done something we may not like. Naturally, there is the notion of vengeance that courses through all of us, the need to get back at someone who has wronged us. Again, the concept of Free-Will perpetuates vengeance because of its ideal that said person who harmed us consciously acted in that way. However, if we don’t believe in Free-Will this concept of vengeance not only seems illogical but almost stupid.

Why punish or seek vengeance against someone not in control of their actions? It would seem almost unproductive to hurt or punish someone that isn’t in control the same way it makes no sense to punish animals for reacting to certain external stimuli.

An example of this would be the concept of dogs who may have been abused or raised in dog fighting rings. We don’t blame them for acting aggressively or for hurting people, in fact we demonize the behavior and try rehabilitation through changing the environment in the hope of changing the dog’s behavior. Yet this moral structure is very rarely if ever used in human relationships or systems of justice.

Free-Will being merely an illusion is a gripping concept that can at first seem rather depressing, yet it is through this illusion that can be the start of a more promising future. If we learn to view people not as the cause of their misdeeds but merely the transmitters of them, we can learn to interact with each other with more empathy and respect.

As neuroscience continues to learn more and more about the human mind the tweaks in someone’s experience and consequently their behavior can lead towards a better quality of life for all of us. Whether you still believe in Free-Will or not, it is clear that we must look for new ways to solve our problems both personally and societally speaking. Seeing Free-Will as an illusion can be a possible means to this end, an end that is mutual for all of us, which is a more peaceful world.