Free Will or free will It’s a term that has been around for a long time. But there is still debate among scientists. And philosophers swear what free will is. And is it true?

about the brain and the decision making of human beings It is something that many philosophers and scientists have been trying to answer for a long time. But the human brain is complex and evolves and fluctuates across cultures. This makes studying and framing the principles of free will very difficult.

that a child wants to go to school because they were taught by their parents that going to school is a good thing or is something the child can imagine and parents teaching their children that school is a good thing Is it something parents decide for themselves or is it being framed by society for the rest of their lives? Some decisions can be easily distinguished from free will. But some decisions are very difficult to distinguish from what the real reason is.

In this article, let’s try to see what we humans have. Is it ‘free will’ and ‘how much’ do we have?

What is Free Will?

Free Will or free will is freedom and the ability to choose between more than one action. Without anyone or anything to force and direct action, the term ‘free will’ is a constant and valid debate in philosophy, science and ethics.

One of the joys of living is freedom, having your own thoughts and wills. Therefore, according to reason The more freedom we have We should only be happy.

The opposite of free will is that there is no choice, there is no freedom, for example people who are forced to do things. Or the most extreme example is a prisoner in prison. Can’t do much and can’t get around Lack of freedom is suffering. Therefore, people want to have freedom and want to have free will.

However, what we need to ask next is what exactly is free will? In what kind of events and situations? where our decisions and thoughts are categorized as ‘Free Will’

Free will is not real… is it true?

This question may or may not be true. Based on theories, philosophies and personal beliefs. Because there is no scientific principle to prove it for sure. However, the opinions of most philosophers are as follows.

Many philosophers believe that Most human actions are caused by the effects of the environment. Both society and parenting making every action seem to be more or less influenced by something else to conclude that ‘Free will doesn’t exist’ 

for example If the actions and thoughts of a person It is something that crystallizes from experiences and what has been learned in the past. And if people can’t control the situation we encounter (For example, we can’t control the rain, the car won’t stop, or we can choose whether our childhood teachers are good or bad teachers.) All of our actions are just the result of what we experienced in the past.

This idea is also one of the principles of causality. (Determinism) that you can read more about later.

The goal of the study of free will It’s not making you sleepless. Lie down and think about each of your actions. but to give you a better understanding and awareness of your feelings and thoughts. in order to make you a better person Make smarter, more compassionate decisions.

besides that Another factor contributing to free will is scientific and psychological principles. that proves that the chemicals in the body It is something that affects human emotions and feelings. This means that it affects human decision-making as well.

Challenges of Studying Human Decisions is that human beings can Always ‘create a reason’ (Rationalize) for every action of yourself. Most humans use their emotions to make decisions. and gradually find reasons to support that emotion

in the next article Let’s see how Free Will or free will in each concept can be interpreted.

Free Will and Science

Pleasant chemicals in our body, such as dopamine and endorphin, are among the motivations for doing something. Every time we feel winning, feel successful. Our body produces more dopamine to make us feel happy.

The problem is that humans can become addicted to dopamine, which is why some people become addicted to cigarettes. It contains nicotine that causes dopamine. However, this chemical is not just addictive. Running a marathon or exercising also produces dopamine. We run faster. Our body produces more dopamine to make us happy. want to keep running

The question in this section is whether drug addicts have free will. The fact that human beings are addicted to drugs and wanting to continue taking drugs Is it because of the chemicals from the drug or because of individual free will?

which when we come to analyze the action with chemicals in the body Explaining what people like to do or don’t like to do anything It immediately began to look more complicated. we like it because we like it Or do we like it because our bodies like it? Are there any differences between the two?

We can see that ‘will’ in our brain may have many things. Each of them may contradict each other. In the morning, our brains have the intention of waking up early to go to work. and then have the intention of wanting to continue sleeping Which will is free will?

besides that Psychology also explains that Human behavior is influenced by two things: nature and nurture (Nature and Nurture). You are like this because you are ‘convinced’ by your parents, friends or society.

In this case, we might say that nature and nurture It’s what creates our identity. For example, we are born short-sighted from a recessive gene from our parents. Makes us a person who likes to walk slowly, we have to be careful when bumping into something. In addition, we grew up in a society that likes people who talk less. Makes us a person who does not like to express our feelings. These traits are what we are because we want to be. Or is it what we are because we are cultivated?

In summary, it is Nowadays, if we are to use science and psychology to explain whether free will exists or not. In the end, it depends on each person’s thoughts. If you are a very thoughtful person, think deeply. You may feel a headache or hesitate.

Free Will and Determinism

If you think that scientific and psychological principles are not enough to explain free will. Let’s take a look at some philosophical principles. Especially the principle that people talk about often with free will. in principle (Determinism)

Causality or Determinism is the philosophy that every event that occurs every decision being influenced by events that have happened before And it is a philosophy used to conclude that free will does not exist. Because humans cannot make decisions that are not influenced by past events.

Majeure principle believe that every action no matter how much reason are all influenced by past events It may be passed from father to son. or from what we experienced yesterday that led us to make decisions today

Most people would have a hard time making decisions on their own. I want to have my own free will. But the problem is that we will be able to decide. Without being persuaded or persuaded by external factors or not? which is in addition to the psychology that I have already explained There are also principles of ethics coming in as well.

If we look at this world, there are hundreds of thousands of factors that may affect our decisions each day. If the economy is not good, people may change from eating ice cream for 100 baht to eating ice cream cones for 20 baht without knowing it. Some people left the house and were greeted by a lizard. It might feel bad without knowing it. So I have to make more merit after work.

The theory of seeing habits has explained and that As long as human beings are not able to perceive all motives. and aware of all external factors Human beings cannot have true free will.

Free Will and Moral Responsibility

If you think science, psychology, and philosophy are not doing enough for your understanding of free will, In this last section, let’s try to understand about Free Will and Moral Responsibility… might confuse you even more, haha.

ethically People who do good things deserve to be praised. Those who do bad things should be warned…and in some cases, punished.

which the principles that I have already explained convincing us that in some perspectives and in certain situations ‘Free will’ is not that obvious. This means that when a person does something wrong…is that person worthy or deserving of punishment?

If you’re wondering why free will is important. The first is that people want to believe they are free. because freedom will make us happy Therefore, free will equals happiness. and the second is that If we understand free will, temperament and ethical responsibility We might be able to find a way to make our society better.

a philosopher who believes in the existence of free will And every human being can make decisions for his own reasons. should believe that those who do wrong should be warned and punished The principle of free will can be applied to answer the question ‘How humans should behave towards others’.

person who believes in causation It’s not necessary to say that the person doing the wrong thing. Make a mistake by yourself, you can’t control it, you don’t have to punish yourself. But causal thinking can be used to find ways to get the person who has done the wrong thing to change their perspective and correct themselves.

for example If your child forgets to do his homework You will punish your child because your child deserves to be punished. Or punish your child because you want your child to develop and behave better?

and if you think like this with someone close to you Will you be able to apply this idea to prison inmates? We punish prisoners because they deserve to be punished. Or is it because we want prisoners to improve and behave better?

I’m not sure whether the principle of free will is easy or difficult for others to understand. but for me, even after reading many articles study many videos I still can’t come to any conclusions. which made me think that the answer to free will Maybe not black and white do not have a clear answer But trying to think about these things will allow us to understand human society more.