Free Will is the New Jesus
We can do what we want, but we cannot will what we will
“You can be happy and still make a difference” remains my most popular blog post of late.
The subtitle of this post is from Schopenhauer.
Since I originally wrote the below, I’ve come across yet another podcast where two very smart people simply refuse to accept Sapolsky’s insights. But they could do no other!
It is ... let's say "amusing" ... to hear so many big-brained intellectuals tie themselves into knots claiming they have free will. These are highly-educated individuals who would (and sometimes do) mock other people who believe in a magic friend in the sky. But these “rational atheists” insist, over and over, that they have magic in their heads - magic that somehow creates a causeless cause outside the laws of physics.
On the podcast Armchair Expert, Dax Shepherd explicitly makes the connection between god(s) and free will in his conversation with Robert Sapolsky. Dax - a huge fan who thinks Sapolsky’s Behave* is one of the best books ever - noted that people make some of the same arguments for free will that others make for god(s).
Like many, Dax will go part of the way, accepting that, say, criminals who had terrible lives aren't responsible for their actions.
But he, Dax, does have free will.
It all comes down to feelings. We like feeling that an all-powerful being loves us (and will give us life after death). We like feeling that we are in control. We (i.e., people who read this blog or Sapolsky's books) like feeling that we have earned and deserve our awards, accomplishments, and accolades.
And, of course, we feel like we are in control, as long as we don't examine that feeling too closely.
So I don’t (and can’t!) blame anyone for refusing to give up their preferred personal magic. However, their fears are misplaced. Accepting reality can make us happier, as well as more understanding.
* After writing Behave, people told Sapolsky, "Oh, I don't know about this. It might make people doubt free will." Saposky's reaction was "Might??" That led him to stop being subtle and write Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will.