Free will does not exist

I look forward to seeing your arguments in the future. -Before I being my arguments, I must define free will. I apologize for not doing so in the first round. -Free will is the freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention. . http://www.merriam-webster.com... -I will now present my arguments in favor of hard determinism. 1) Causality -Free will is incompatible with natural law. Everything action and occurrence is the result of an antecedent cause that, in turn, produces an effect. In order for freedom of the will to exist, humans would have to possess the ability to control all the factors and influences that determine our subsequent actions and behaviors, but we cannot. Humankind is subject to the law of cause and effect, which leaves no room for free will because the cause of our consciousness is not subject to our control. -Bertrand Russell said "The law of causation, according to which later events can theoretically be predicted by means of earlier events, has often been held to be a priori, a necessity of thought, a category without which science would not be possible. " (Russell, External World p.179) . http://www.informationphilosopher.com... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . https://lh3.googleusercontent.com... "Three different models explain the causal mechanism of free will and the flow of information between unconscious neural activity and conscious thought (GES = genes, environment, stochasticism). In A, the intuitive model, there is no causal component for will. Will influences conscious thought, which in turn influences unconscious neural activity to direct behavior. In B, a causal component of will is introduced: unconscious neural activity and GES. But now will loses its "freedom. " In C, the model that Cashmore advocates, will is dispensed with. Conscious thought is simply a reflection of, rather than an influence on, unconscious neural activity, which directs behavior. The dotted arrow 2 in C indicates a subservient role of conscious thought in directing behavior. Credit: Anthony Cashmore. " . http://phys.org... -Anthony Cashmore is the professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. The above excerpt is a transition into my next argument, although it still explains how a causal agent nullifies the notion of free will. 2) Unconscious neural activity is the antecedent cause of our consciousness "As Cashmore explains, the human brain acts at both the conscious level as well as the unconscious. It"s our consciousness that makes us aware of our actions, giving us the sense that we control them, as well. But even without this awareness, our brains can still induce our bodies to act, and studies have indicated that consciousness is something that follows unconscious neural activity. Just because we are often aware of multiple paths to take, that doesn"t mean we actually get to choose one of them based on our own free will. As the ancient Greeks asked, by what mechanism would we be choosing? The physical world is made of causes and effects - "nothing comes from nothing" - but free will, by its very definition, has no physical cause. " . http://phys.org... -We do not have control over the majority of our mind, the unconscious dominates the conscious. Neurophysiological processes determine every perceived option or path that appears to be available, thereby allowing for an explanation of the will to be understood. Humans become aware of our thoughts, desires, and intentions only after they have manifested within the recesses of our mind. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The recordable cerebral activity (readiness-potential, RP) that precedes a freely voluntary, fully endogenous motor act was directly compared with the reportable time (W) for appearance of the subjective experience of "wanting" or intending to act. The onset of cerebral activity clearly preceded by at least several hundred milliseconds the reported time of conscious intention to act. This relationship held even for those series (with "type II" RPs) in which subjects reported that all of the 40 self-initiated movements in the series appeared "spontaneously" and capriciously. " . http://brain.oxfordjournals.org... -The experiments of Benjamin Libet elucidate the aforementioned manifestation of "wants" or "desires" by performing experiments that test the nature of decision making. Neural activity determines a specified outcome before the subject in question is consciously aware that the decision has been made. How can we be free if we do not determine our thoughts? "Where our intentions themselves come from, however, and what determines their character in every instant, remains perfectly mysterious in subjective terms. Our sense of free will arises from a failure to appreciate this fact: we do not know what we will intend to do until the intention itself arises. To see this is to realize that you are not the author of your thoughts and actions in the way that people generally suppose. " . http://www.informationphilosopher.com... -Sam Harris expertly deconstructs the notion of free will by examining the reason why we feel it exists. Acts of volition are accompanied by a felt intention, thus distinguishing them from involuntary acts. Can one act upon an intention that does not occur to one"s mind? If the logical conclusion cannot be thought of, what is one to do? 3) Genes, Environment, Background "A study of more than 800 sets of twins found that genetics were more influential in shaping key traits than a person's home environment and surroundings. Psychologists at the University of Edinburgh who carried out the study, say that genetically influenced characteristics could well be the key to how successful a person is in life. " "Ever since the ancient Greeks, people have debated the nature of a good life and the nature of a virtuous life. Why do some people seem to manage their lives, have good relationships and cooperate to achieve their goals while others do not? Previously, the role of family and the environment around the home often dominated people's ideas about what affected psychological well-being. However, this work highlights a much more powerful influence from genetics. " . http://www.sciencedaily.com... -The power of genetics in determining outcomes and predisposing us towards certain proclivities and desires cannot be overstated. Why do we feel an attraction towards a certain way of life, or a certain decision? Our genome has been craftily developed through evolution, and the result is a comprehensive system that plays a role in determining every decision that one makes. "Genes capture the evolutionary responses of prior populations to selection on behavior. Environmental flexibility gives animals the opportunity to adjust to changes during their own lifetime. " "Evolution has acted so that genes and environment act to complement each other in yielding behavioral solutions to the survival challenges faced by animals. Innate, or instinctive, responses allow animals to benefit from generations of natural selection on behavior. Learning gives animals tools to respond to local conditions and changing environments. Understanding the relative roles of genes and the environment in determining human behavior continues to create controversy. Behavior is best seen as the result of evolutionary processes that sometimes create, through genetic coding, behavioral instructions for animals and at other times create flexible mechanisms to allow animals to solve problems specific to their environment. " . http://www.nature.com... -The power of our environment is instrumental in the development of the self. We do not possess the ability to choose our environment, nor do we possess the ability to change the effect of our environment. As we develop and progress through our lives the environment that contains us is bound to change; however, the influences continue to mold our thinking. When our thoughts and intentions arise in the mind, they are the crafted and refined due to our genetic makeup and our environmental stipulations. -Lastly, prior causes work in the unconscious, of which many never appear to the conscious agent. Background influences and previous experiences all mold and shape the nature of our mind, thus never allowing true freedom to exist. By definition, in order for free will to exist we would have to be consciously aware of all the factors that are considered in the making of a decision, as well as possess the ability to manipulate the aforementioned factors. Neither of the previously mentioned conditions are met, therefore free will cannot exist.