Why do people believe that they (and possibly some animals) have free will? Well, because they want it to be true. It's simply wishful thinking. People want to feel as if they have some measure of control over their own lives. Also, many free will believers fear that we can't have a successful criminal justice system without the idea that people are fundamentally, morally responsible for what they think and do. How can we have any kind of order without blaming people?
Thoughts, Actions and Several Confusing Words
Consider a reflex; the doctor taps your knee with a rubber mallet and your leg immediately springs forward. Should you be blamed for that physical response? Are you responsible for that action? Well, if you contend that such language is appropriate for that scenario, how would you differentiate between pre-meditated murder and an accidental shooting?
Thoughts play a critical role in how we- as a society- assign responsibility and blameworthiness to individuals. Let's examine a few more scenarios:
(A) - Suppose my hand moves from the left to the right, without any relevant thoughts preceding the action. Suppose this movement occurs like a reflex, and I am genuinely,consciously surprised by the physical movements of my body (i.e. I feel like I can't control my limbs).
(B) - A slight variation of (A). This time a thought pops up in my mind before my hand moves. Suppose I was consciously aware of my desire to want my hand to move. At one particular moment I didn't have any opinion on the matter, and then- suddenly- I wanted my hand to move.
(C) - Now we have two competing thoughts: one to move my hand, and the other not to move my hand. At one particular moment I didn't have any opinion on the matter, and then- suddenly- I wanted my hand to move...
However, moments later, I have another thought: don't move your hand.
Some time passes, and ultimately, my hand moves, indicating that the first thought won.
Are you responsible for the movements of your hand in each of these scenarios? In only some of them? Should you be blamed for the consequences of your hand's movements (e.g. perhaps your wandering hand knocks a fragile, expensive item off of a table) in each of these scenarios? In only some of them?
The Answer
We don't control our thoughts; we simply have thoughts. Sometimes, before we act, we are consciously aware of what we want to do. However, we should not be held responsible for our thoughts. Perhaps this point is best understood by considering some Orwellian dystopia where individuals are punished for thought crimes. Certainly, we can all quickly come to the conclusion that this would be a repugnant practice.
Is it meaningful to say that you "made yourself love vanilla ice cream"? Isn't it more accurate to say that "you are the person who loves vanilla ice cream"? Your brain, body and experiences formed the individual who loves vanilla ice cream.
Thoughts mysteriously pop into our minds. To paraphrase Sam Harris, we can't be consciously aware of our thoughts before we're consciously aware of our thoughts.
- We shouldn't blame individuals for the actions they make reflexively.
- We shouldn't blame individuals for the thoughts they have.
- We shouldn't blame individuals for the thoughts they don't have.
- We shouldn't blame individuals for having several competing thoughts.
- We shouldn't blame individuals who have thoughts, act in a manner consistent with those thoughts, and who then claim to have felt a direct link between their thoughts and actions.
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