What do we understand by “Free Will”?

Café Philo is a way of meeting interesting, inquiring people who enjoy talking about life's big issues and conundrums in a convivial atmosphere, rather than a heavy-duty philosophy seminar. Read more about our approach here.

We all make choices. But how? Why do we select the options that we do? This month’s discussion considers to what extent we are free to make choices, if at all, and what we mean by free will.

Sometimes we make our choices by “gut feel” or emotional response – like choosing chocolate ice cream today and strawberry tomorrow, or making a spontaneous charity donation in response to seeing a video of a major disaster. Other times we carefully consider our options, weighing up the pros and cons of each alternative before reaching our decision.

We have the sensation of making “free” choices whenever there are feasible alternatives and no one is unduly influencing us. But in what sense are our choices “truly free”? We know that we are subject to a myriad of influences, some conscious but most subconscious. Examples include:

• Evolution - the way human brains work
• Our genetic inheritance
• Our parental upbringing
• Our education
• Our peer group
• Our cultural background
• The socio-economic background we were born into
• Advertising and media

Some of these factors influence the quality of our decision making capability itself:

• Our memory of past events
• Our ability to predict likely outcomes
• Our training in critical/independent thinking
• Our general level of intelligence

Given all these factors, is there any room left for “free” choice?
Our society seems to think so. We are all held responsible for our choices, (though some exceptions are made for children and those with severe psychiatric problems). If we break the law, and are caught, we expect to be punished. Similarly, if we choose to work hard we expect to be rewarded with pay rises and promotions. In what sense are rewards and punishments “deserved”, as opposed to simply being sticks and carrots intended to nudge our behavioural choices towards those society has deemed appropriate?

In what ways, (if any) does “free will” differ from “autonomy”?
Does the autonomy of a taxi driver driving from A to B differ significantly from the autonomy of a driverless vehicle making the same trip?

If everything is ultimately determined by neurological processes, does that mean we needn’t bother “trying” to achieve goals?

If you’d like to do some prior reading on the topic, try browsing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/

Come and share your views in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.

NOTE 1: I've limited the discussion to 12 people to ensure we have a manageable group for a pub conversation. If you sign up for a place and later find you can't come, PLEASE change your RSVP to NO.

NOTE 2: Please buy drinks and/or food at the bar. We don't pay to use the space so we need to support the venue.