people have free will

choice and our conscious and unconscious selfPeople make (free) decisions constantly. However, as Harris points out, we are not always conscious of when and how we made the decisions. But it is wrong to conclude from this that we do not have free will. My definition of free will requires that we can choose freely, not that we are conscious of all the physical processes that lead up to our decisions. Dennett gives a definition of free will that satisfies our need for moral responsibility (see (long) video). Harris, on the other hand seems to acknowledge that this "illusion" of free will might be useful.Clearly, we would be unable to comprehend the movement of every single atom in our brain. Harris wants to define a persons identity solely as its conscious thought processes. This definition is too narrow. Our unconscious/subconscious thought processes are also part of who we are. These thought processes are also shaped by our conscious thought processes. Let me use the following metaphor. Think of a large car company(=all unconscious thought processes), and its CEO (=conscious thought processes). The CEO is in charge of the corporation, but at any given time can only focus on a small part of the whole company. If one car model of the company has major safety flaws, the CEO will be blamed. But the CEO did not build the car with his hands, he (let's assume it's a he) did not design the car. Is it fair to blame the CEO? I think so. The CEO hired the people who messed up. He should have been more careful with hiring. He should have created a corporate environment where safety is top priority etc. etc.In the same way, the conscious self, cannot directly control the unconscious self. But the unconscious self is shaped by the conscious self. Therefore, our conscious self is also responsible for some of our actions that we do unconsciously. Someone who chooses a life of deception, will eventually become a compulsive liar. At that point this person no longer will have direct control over the lying. But that person's personality has been shaped by conscious decisions earlier in life. predicting human behaviorIn an experiment that is often cited by Harris, test persons are asked to lift the left or right finger. Since the brain is hooked up to some electronics, the neuroscientist is able to tell seconds before the test person is aware of it, what the choice is going to be. This perhaps proves that we are not always aware of how and when we make our decisions. But as I explained before, this does not mean that we did not make the decision freely. Besides, choosing which finger to lift is not really a decision. The subject really chooses to take part in the experiment, and really chooses to lift a finger to please the researcher, but is completely oblivious to which of the two fingers is lifted. Also, if the subject had the same information as the researchers, then the subject could have easily changed the finger at the last moment, making it impossible for the researchers to predict. This is also true in our daily life. We may be manipulated by other people, or other people might anticipate our next moves. But whenever we become aware of it, we can change our behavior and stop the manipulation and predictability. So in a way, we can only be manipulated and anticipated if we choose to.determinismBoth Harris and Dennett are determinists. However, there is a strong case in the (short) video against determinism. Nondeterminism strengthens the case for free will, but it is not necessary as Dennett points out.http://www.youtube.com...http://www.youtube.com...