Free Will and Friends

     So the last month or so Ive been noticing a lot of talk (or writing I guess) about the concept of Free Will or really more of the lack there-of. I bought a book for my birthday specifically on the subject even and found a lot in it that I didn't agree with and a lot of arguments I felt weren't very well backed up or argued but it got me thinking and talking and a common theme I've noticed is that everyone seems to define "Free Will" something along the lines of "Thought or action free from any outside influence" which is ludicrous to think about.

    And I really wanted to post here about my remarkable progress on the subject and how Ive come up with a better alternate definition because a day ago I would have sat on my high horse and claimed to and then my friends humbled me and got me thinking even more than the initial spur.

    I and a friend initially settled on the suitably vague definition of "Thought or action free from antithetical forces of influence" and we thought it was a genuinely good working definition but didn't really dig that deeply into counter arguments. That is, until tonight.

    I was talking to my friend Jennifer about just this when she asked a question that shot a hole in the whole thing big enough to drive a truck through. "What if I convinced you to change your mind?" It was that simple. This is an antithetical influence BUT I am also enacting my Free Will by accepting the argument and changing my mind, right?

    So this brings up a very important philosophical problem. Is it still free will exerting itself if someone gets you to change your mind? Have you decided to change your own mind or have they changed it for you? There's a lot to look at from both sides.

    And right as I was mulling this over and explaining it to another friend, Tammy, while on lunch, she brings up the point that Free Will is not about influencing or being influenced by the world, but exerting control over yourself. The Lack of Free Will comes about when we are not in control of our thoughts and actions and we can be influenced all we want (or not want) but what really matters is the point where we are not longer in control of things.

    Needless to say, this gave me some good material to ponder on tonight at work and it makes me grateful for the people in my life that are willing to discuss these things with me.

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