Since this thread is in the "Personal Effectiveness" forum, I'm going to first say that yes, we do have "free will". We all have the personal freedom to live our lives however we see fit, regardless of any outside influence, authority, or ideology. This is the kind of "free will" and "freedom" exemplified in movies like "Braveheart". (And Braveheart is one of my all-time favorite movies.)
However, from a metaphysical/philosophical perspective, I'd have to say no, we don't have free will at all. But that doesn't automatically mean that everything is pre-determined either.
The "Free will vs. determinism" problem is actually unsolvable and can't be answered either way (like dividing by zero or trying to draw a square circle).
The "Free will vs. determinism" problem is unsolvable because it falsely presupposes that there is an individual "will" to either (a) be free or (b) be pushed around by external forces (cultural and environmental).
The "Free will vs. determinism" problem presents a false dichotomy. It isn't simply one or the other. It's like asking someone "Do you want to be free or do you want to be a slave?".
Is it possible to *freely* choose to be a slave?
And now that I think about it, how can you *freely* choose to be free, if you weren't already free before you made the choice?
Quote:
There is neither creation nor destruction;
Neither destiny nor free will;
Neither path nor achievement;
This is the final truth.
-- Ramana Maharishi
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Quote:
Will is an imaginary function of an imaginary entity.
As ultimate Reality we can have no will, for Non-Being is devoid of attributes.
As relative Reality, in the dualist aspect of Consciousness and objects of Consciousness – Observer and all that is observed – we are integrated in the Cosmos and act accordingly.
As individuals we are merely figments and cannot have will other than as desire and its opposite.
Will, therefore, is just a figure of speech. We are like passengers in a railway-train who think that we can change our mind and make the train go anywhere we wish.
-- Wei Wu Wei
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