Free Will

by Sam Harris

By merely glancing at your face or listening to your tone of voice,

others are often more aware of your state of mind and motivations

than yo...

The intention to do one thing and not another does not originate in consciousness—rather, it appears in consciousness, as does any thought or impulse that might oppose it.

It is important to recognize that the case I am building against free will does not depend upon philosophical materialism

Thus the idea of free will emerges from a felt experience.

Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do?

You are not in control of your mind—because you, as a conscious agent, are only part of your mind, living at the mercy of other parts.15 You can do what you decide to do—but you cannot decide what you will decide to do.

You can change your life, and yourself, through effort and discipline—but

Becoming sensitive to the background causes of one’s thoughts and feelings can—paradoxically—allow for greater creative control over one’s life. It is one thing to bicker with your wife because you are in a bad mood; it is another to realize that your mood and behavior have been caused by low blood sugar. This understanding reveals you to be a biochemical puppet, of course, but it also allows you to grab hold of one of your strings: A bite of food may be all that your personality requires. Getting behind our conscious thoughts and feelings can allow us to steer a more intelligent course through our lives (while knowing, of course, that we are ultimately being steered).

The belief in free will has given us both the religious conception of “sin” and our commitment to retributive justice.