Free Will
Free will exists because even extenuating circumstances do not stop our conscience from decision making. Whether we are moving our hands, choosing what we will have for lunch, or controlling how much pressure we put on the gas pedal, we make decisions constantly of immeasurable importance. In terms of the butterfly effect, even the smallest movement can cause major change. Examples that have always struck me are the stories of people who survived natural disasters or terrorist attacks such as 9/11 just by their choosing to grab a cup of coffee before work that morning. Evidently, our actions have consequences and while those consequences often affect our decision making they do not control it. We know we can get a ticket for speeding, but we often still choose to go ten over when we are running late. Even a skewed mind is capable of making decisions although some argue they are bad ones.
From the religious standpoint that is explored in Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve use their free will each day in the garden to decide whether or not they will obey God. In the beginning, they do not eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, not because God forced them not to but because he asked them not to. When Satan speaks to Eve he convinces her that God’s gift of free will was not a test of obedience but a test of courage. Now, Adam and Eve eat the fruit not because Satan force-fed them, but because he made a compelling enough argument to skew humanities choices. Of course, their actions came with consequences as God punished them, but their actions were never against their own will. The debate is not whether or not free will exists, but why God gave it to us. Adam and Eve believed it was a test of obedience until Satan convinced them it was a test of bravery. Modern Christians believe that free will is a gift we are given because God is a good and just being and it is our responsibility to earn our salvation by choosing to follow him, not for him to force us. According to the Epicurean Paradox though, an all-powerful, all-knowing, good God can not exist while evil and free will also exist. Therein the debate lies.
I believe we have free will because we were created to be complex creatures. What is the point in such a beautiful, divine creation if we did not have the ability to learn, grow, discover, and create on our own? Balance comes when we must reap what we sow and face the consequences of our actions, big and small.
