Do we have control over our lives? Are we truly the one who makes decisions for ourselves, or is our future determined by a predetermined and inescapable fate? Philosophers have pondered this concept of free will for a long time, and the answer is not so clear. The colloquial notion of free will is a concept at a very high level of analysis, one where we evaluate the tenants of existence, consciousness, and autonomy. But if we change perspectives, we can analyze free will on the microscopic scale. Every thought you’ve ever had is a collection of particles interacting at the atomic level, governed by the laws of physics. In fact, everything that’s ever happened is a collection of particles interacting with one another. But at the human level, these interactions manifest in unbelievably complex structures that we perceive as reality. But if your thoughts and actions are literally just particle interactions, then is everything you ever do already written into nature? You don’t get to control the laws of physics, yet you still believe that you do things because you willed them into existence. But, that really isn’t the case. It’s the atoms in your body that created this illusion of freedom.
This concept is extremely hard to digest. Your choice to read this article today was governed by the atoms in your body moving and colliding in predetermined ways. You beginning to understand that free will isn’t so simple is also due to atoms in your body moving and colliding in predetermined ways. That’s amazing, isn’t it? The universe conjured us, beings so complex and organized that somehow we can even contemplate this concept of free will. Every particle interaction that has ever occurred led to a chain of events where we could exist. We’re surrounded by millions of species that do not have the capacity for such complex thought. Their particles do not interact in a way that allows them to facilitate it. Your dog cannot. The rocks in your backyard and the river nearby cannot. But, we can.
In an interview between podcaster Lex Fridman and physicist Brian Greene on free will, Greene said something I found particularly interesting: “we are liberated from the limited behavioral repertoire of these rocks and water bottles to have this broad spectrum of responses.” He claims that we should be grateful that we have the complex systems necessary to respond to stimuli in a way that most other objects and beings cannot. The fact that we are capable of these responses is our freedom. I particularly like this notion because it shows that even though we might not have choice, we still can. And that makes all the difference.
In a humorous YouTube video titled “Why is the Milk Gone?” by exurb1a, he contemplates the idea of free will by analyzing the chain of events that led to you running out of milk at lower and lower resolutions. Let me give you an example. After a long day of work, you come home and trip on a broomstick that had fallen to the ground. Why did you trip? It’s because the broomstick is on the ground. So the broomstick made you fall. But why is the broomstick on the ground? It’s because your damn cat knocked it over. So your cat is the reason you fell. But what made your cat knock it over? It’s because you adopted your cat from that shelter. So…you adopting a cat is the reason you fell. You can slowly lower the resolution until you blame the universe for existing as the reason that you fell. Everything since the inception of the universe 14 billion years ago has followed a trajectory determined by the laws the universe created. Exurb1a ponders that if we created a new universe with the exact same blueprint, would everything turn out the same? Would the universe’s creation lead to the creation of the solar system, you being born, you adopting your cat, your cat knocking over a broomstick, and you tripping over the fallen broomstick?
The laws of the universe are not completely black and white. Quantum Mechanics tells us that many particles exist in non determinant states. Electrons exist in a probability distribution. Quantum tunneling isn’t an exact process. Maybe, restarting the universe would not lead to you tripping over a broom. Only one difference is needed to cause a butterfly-effect cascade of events, leading to a world where were never even born. But, would you really be comfortable with this explanation, that your free will is simply the result of the probablistic nature of your particles? The answer isn’t obvious.
Whether free will exists or not, I do not see what is wrong with believing that it exists. If we behave as if it does exist, then what ultimate difference will it make? Believing everything that happens is up to fate allows people to justify a lack of responsibility. I failed my test because I was always going to. I am unsuccessful because of fate. I’m not going to try because there is no point. Believing in free will makes you accountable for your actions. You cannot blame the universe for your failings. You can chalk up your successes to your own decisions. It allows you to seek out your desires and craft your own path without thinking the universe is trying to stop you. We’ve created philosophical guidelines to help us navigate and interpret the world and they do not necessarily have to be “true”. And maybe, instead of seeing free will as a concept of fact or fiction, you can use it as your doctrine to guide your own journey in life.
Lex Fridman Interview:
“Why is the Milk Gone”, recommended to me by Eli
Interesting Crash Course Video: