The concept of free will has undergone some hard times lately. The obvious success of science, and the materialistic, deterministic, reductionistic assumptions that usually accompany it, have made free will seem old-fashioned, associated more with scholastic theologians than modern men and women. But I find the concept impossible to ignore, much less dispose of. Let s begin by saying what free will is, and what it isn t. Free will is not the same as freedom of action.
Freedom of action refers to things that prevent a willed action from being realized.
For example, being in prison means you are not free to paint the town red. Being in a straight jacket means you are not free to wave hello. Being paralyzed means not being able to move your limbs. These are not issues of free will. You ll just wind up paying for the satisfaction.