Free will doesn’t exist
The concept “Free will” is impossible. Our thoughts are the result of physical processes that have causes and effects. I’m not the first to make this point so I’m not going to make a big post about determinism – as it’s called – now. Maybe later. But feel free to look it up at Wikipedia.
Basically, the brain is a calculator which get’s its input from our senses, churns the data through the brain and voila – behavior. Humans doesn’t have some sort of magical ability to defy the laws of nature. Free will is an impossible concept – it can’t exist.
The Value Drive is the biggest factor in behavior and it’s very much deterministic. It’s impossible to turn off and without it we would be empty shells. It’s our motivation.
Our big brain causes consciousness
Still, we have this thing called consciousness. Thanks to high intelligence, short term memory and language we are able to think abstract and be aware of our existence. And consciousness makes it seem like we are in control. That we chose our own behavior. We don’t. Through consciousness we are a spectator to ourselves. That’s it.
It’s strange. I know about the value drive. I know that what drives me is wanting to feel value and that drives most of my actions. Still, I’m here writing this blog, seeking attention to boost my ego. I admit as much – I’m not above my nature.
I, as everyone else, is trapped in this brain, watching this emotional roller-coaster as I watch people at the grocery store fail to park their shopping carts correctly.
So, without “free will”, what’s going on? Well, we’re all on this earth just bouncing around off each other as marble balls. And programming each other through communicating.
I’m not merely writing here, I’m programming your brain. Even though you might not agree with me, I’m influencing you, and that’s programming. If you contact me, you are programming me. As are everyone I see and talk to every day.
I’m watching my brain trying to program you to be more aware of what your brain is doing. I know my brain is doing this because it wants to boost its value drive. And that what’s the brain is doing every second, every day, every year.
You might use to think that being alive and self-aware was great, but I hate to tell you that it isn’t. Life isn’t so grand at you might think it is.
I’ll get back to that but first a short paragraph about criminals and determinism.
Free will and criminals
People who complain about determinism, often come with the problem: So criminals are not responsible for their actions? Should they not be receive sentencing?
No, they are marbles bouncing around, so they have no choice and sentencing seems to be cruel and unnecessary, as their behavior is deterministic.
But –sentencing is programming. Sending criminals to prison programs the criminals and others. The programming is “crime leads to prison”. That’s obvious useful programming.
Zen, Meditation, and Death
The brain can get the best of us. It makes us yell at our kids. It makes us do poor choices and we go around feeling angry while we want to be happy. I’ll write about “How to be happy later”, but for now, I’ll say this.
It’s useful to calm down the brain. Use meditation, get into that zen zone or whatever works. Avoid stressful situations. Talk about your problems to yourself or others.
But in the end, there is no escape. There is no free will. You are a spectator to your brain doing all sorts of crazy things. This monkey with a big brain is all over the place, and after years and years of being a spectator to this mess, you might be okay with life ending.
I think being alive is great, but it’s just an illusion. We’re not alive the way we thought we were. We’re a quirk of nature, being a spectator to all this silliness we humans do. Death will be fine – in the end.
The Value Drive Theory 