When I was a Christian, I believed that God was omniscient--he knew the future as certainly as he knew the past. Thus, he knew all that would come, from my choice as a mate, to the socks I would wear the next day. If God's knowledge of both past and future is perfect, there is no escape from this position.

And so, I came to the realization that I was an actor, a mere player, in the grand scheme; that my free will was actually an illusion, as I was merely acting out a script that had already been written by the almighty. Yes, it seemed that I was independent, but how free was I really, when God's knowledge had factually pre-determined my course of action?

Thus, after having rejected faith, imagine my shock and consternation when I was confronted with the potential that Free Will is an illusion, and that we are all essentially sophisticated billiard balls, subject to the laws of physics! What a travesty!

Free will is an illusion created by the ego to make us think that we are more than we actually are.

Take AnneWimsey for example. She went into the kitchen to make some iced coffee with hazelnut. Without preset condition she couldn't do that. She has to have a kitchen. She has to like iced coffee. She has to have some on hand. Her so called free will to have that product is of no use if she's out of coffee. Well then suppose her free will tells her to go to the store. How's she going to get there? Is there gas in the car? That depends on preset conditions. And those conditions were set into motion long before she was born.

Its like a game of pool. Its all physics. Even the stroke of the pool cue that sets the balls in motion is the result of preconditions. It only seems like free will because it seems random. It only seems random because we don't know all the factors that go into the equation. And because the equation is too complex for us to compute.

I think that the question is moot.

I have the appearance of free will, therefore I have free will.

Also I feel like quantum mechanics implies free will exists, but I can't really explain it in detail.

In a few moments I will go to the kitchen and make myself an iced coffee with hazelnut flavoring. Tomorrow if still alive, I plan on going out to lunch with friends. I really do not give a rat's behind whether or not some cosmic force is bearing down on me, and would be interested to know why anyone else does...........

This is even less provable than theism (personally I do not believe it can be unequivocally proven either way). The reason for this is because the varying definitions of it. It is even possible to have both. For example if you believe in fate. It brings you to a pre-determined intersecting point however you have free will in how you reach that point. Then there is complete determinism, that everything is already pre-written and we are just along for the ride (gods plan or we are a computer simulation). Then there is complete free will, chaos. I just go with the flow and don't really care, as we stand right now there is no way for these to be proven or disproven. I can accept any possibility.

Of course we have free will, but there are consequences to our actions, and our opportunities are limited by circumstances (such as being born into poverty or wealth). If this was a conversation with bible-believers, I would say humans were given free will when they were thrown out of the garden of Eden.

This is the song that never ends. (shout out to Sherry Lewis and Lambchop!) I've seen at least three threads, but I enjoy them all. But, I do have an opinion. And that opinion is not really an opinion, but a derivative that all has come before me.

Alas, we are complicated billiard balls.

You seem to be over my head there but I do whatever the hell I want when I want to and how I want to. Is that not free will.

It doesn't exist. The Dilemma of Determinism shows through logic that this is the case.