Assuming that there is no God, people are made consisting of a set biological structure and develop because of this and their experience without a “divine spark.” If this is the case then knowing exactly how that biology works and exactly what that person’s experience is should allow one to accurately predict the choices that a person will make. This would mean that free will is not as simple as it sounds. People would be like computers with different input. The variations in structure and the input would change their behavior rather than something uniquely them. Each person is different in their experiences and biology though, so nobody is entirely predictable even to themselves. We also do make choices. These choices are determined by predictable factors and could perhaps be explained if some omniscient force or ultimate were to do so. That does not change that the person makes the choices. Our consciousness may be determined by known factors, but that does not change that it is ours. It would also be strange to say that our choices are not our own because they are determined by our biology and experience. These are the things that make up our self identity and so it is natural that our choices follow from them. We are still a self making choices based on options and even if these choices could be predicted we are still the ones making them. That means that we have some form of free will. We do not immediately know when presented with a choice which we will choose and we do not act in a certain way because of forces that are outside of our self. Outside forces can influence us, but it is the aspects that make up ourselves that determine our choices.
If someone knew everything about a person and could use that to accurately predict that person’s choices would that person would then be acting in a way that discounts free will or would it simply mean that humans are not capable of complete spontaneity?
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