One of the classic questions philosophers consistently ask concerns an individuals ability to control their actions and choices. Do we truly have the ability to make choices for ourselves, or is our life somehow predetermined for us by some unknown force? Is there such a thing of free will?

Throughout time there have always been people who believe they are sensitive to powers unseen or unfelt by the natural world. People who claim to have see the future or future events. These are people who claim to have psychic abilities.

So, is there such a thing as free well and are there individuals who can truly see the future?

Let’s ignore any possible religious implications on either topic while discussing the question, this is purely an exercise in abstract thought.

Free will seems to be a given to most people, why wouldn’t it exist? One gets up in the morning and decides if breakfast will be scrambled eggs or chocolate chip pancakes. Both it is! Okay, so they made the decision, it wasn’t predetermined. Scholars point to such behavior to show humans are in charge of their own actions.

As the individual who just ate breakfast is walking down the street, starting her day, she passes by a storefront psychic. On a whim she says “you know what, it would be fun to see what a psychic says about my life”. She opens the door, walks in and starts listening to all the prospective and thoughts the psychic has to offer. One bit of information the psychic provides is very specific: you will have a car accident tomorrow.

Thinking nothing much of the visit to the psychic, the woman continues on with her life. She goes through the motions of her day – work, dinner, sleep – and the next day starts with no thoughts of the previous day, no thoughts of what the physic said. Instead of making breakfast, however, the young woman decides to stop at her favorite diner to pick up some French toast. While looking for a parking spot her car is nudged by another individual pulling out of the parking lot.

The psychic was right, she was in an accident.

Let’s say the psychic actually saw how this womans life was going to play out and said decision to go out to eat was going to lead to an accident. If the psychic actually saw the future, that would mean our subjects actions were predetermined, and that would imply that there is no such thing as free will. Yet, had free will existed, it would be impossible for the psychic to say “x will happen to you tomorrow” because the woman could have made the decision to avoid getting in a car. No one forced her, she did so willingly.

And there is the paradox…

If free will exists, there is no way a person could see the future. If psychics exist, there is no way true free will can exist because it would imply decisions were already determined.

I would like to believe I have control over my actions, that I am making decisions for myself, but I the question will always remain… especially with the research of physiologist Benjamin Libet. Through experimentation, Libet had shown that the unconscious mind often triggers the conscious mind into “thinking” a choice was made. In reality, the unconscious mind was making decisions for the person.

Just something to think about next time you have nothing else to keep your mind occupied.

Two days ago I asked the question “What’s this all about”?  The point of this quick exercise was to explore a few reasons for human existence.  Essentially, what is life about – Happiness…The Experience…Breeding… Better yet, is there a point to life?

There are countless possible answers to such a philosophical question and in no way did I explore the topic to the fullest, but the topic just wouldn’t leave my mind after submitting the post. I’m not sure why but something felt incomplete.

After reviewing the topic several times two questions remained with me: 1) Why would one assume there is a point to life and 2) If there is a point to life, does that imply there is a higher being that desires humanity to experience “the point” of life?

Emotions (Anger / Fear / Love ) are a biological responses to chemical reactions within the brain.  Does this capability, provided by the human body, allow for the assumption that there is a point to life?  That is to say, is the quest for meaning, is the feeling that there is something greater to life nothing more than an emotional response determined by the biology of the human body?  Does some chemical reaction fire off, thus giving humans the “feeling” that there must be something to be fulfilled in life?

Interesting thought, no?  Now let’s switch gears…

Let’s assume for a moment that there is some specific meaning to life that each person is intended to fulfill a purpose, whatever that purpose is.  Would that then indicate there is a higher power in the universe?  For how could an individual’s purpose be established without having someone, or something, establish it to begin with?

This is a thought which I will continue to dwell on, one I wanted to place in writing – kind of a mental bookmark – so I can continue to explore both topics in detail.

Show of hands – how many people saw the movie “Gone Baby Gone”?  Judging by the box office tally ($20M) not too many.  This is Ben Affleck’s first major directing effort and he shows maturity with his craft that seasoned directors with decades of experience struggle to achieve.  The movie is quite good but this isn’t a movie review, it’s a philosophical question.

If one does something wrong yet his or her actions result in a positive and selfless outcome is it ok? Do the ends justify the means? For example, if you had the ability to travel back to Austria in 1905 would you kill the young, disillusioned, artists by the name of Adolf Hitler when you ran into him on the street?  You know this single act would save millions of people from untold suffering and death yet you would have to compromise ever fiber of your being in order to do so, would you do it?

My version of the question asked is extreme in order to simply point out how much of an impact this question truly has. Can you compromise your beliefs, your views, who you are, in order to do something deemed immoral and wrong… but ultimately, maybe, the right thing to do?

Think about it – really think about it – and come back and post in the comment section.  I would like to grow this one into a discussion.

I’ll end this post with a saying: Right and wrong are just words, what matters is what you do.