What is Free Will?

[Shakezula]

IMO: theoretically, the number of possible responses to any given situation can be infinite. Practically speaking, in daily life, the choices become limited, having to do with time-constraints, personal preferences, external influences, alcohol within the blood stream that is affecting the neurological pathways, or the inability to perceive all the options. Free will then is not really operable, because of such limitations. It still exists, only it has been narrowed and refined according to individual purposes.

The proposed model of an entity having awareness of all future activity, is a stale and unfulfilling idea. There is no room for further creativity from the individual. Expansion, from the individual nor the universe, is not possible in such a state of perfection, because it is closed, final, finished, and complete. That is a dead-end, IMO.

[udontknowmickey]

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Isn't it funny, then, that we don't define out terms when we have a conversation? How do we know that we're using the words the same way?


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because usually our definitions agree to a large extent we are able to communicate and convey our ideas and dialogue in a meaningful manner, however , when we both have a disagreement over what exactly a term means, it is required to define (and agree upon what we're discussing) the terms relevant. I feel the term "free will" is one of those terms since neither of us has put forth a plausible definition of free will.

For me personally, I define "free will" as being free from God's soveign control, and thus I reject it completely and affirm that God is in indirect as well as direct control of everything. If you disagree with that we can come up with a definition that we both agree on and work from there, but until then meaningful discussion about the term "free will" is severely hindered.