Free Will

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Free Will

A definition of free will, as we have seen, can be misunderstood and easily distorted. For the purpose of this essay free will, will be defined as the ability to chose, express ones feelings, emotions, or actions unconditionally.

From the first time I understood the meaning of what free will was, I believed in it 100%. I had the right and ability to choose what ever I liked. Not only did I believe that I had free will but if I ever heard otherwise I felt that the other person did not have a clear understanding of what free will was, and as a result I could demonstrate a fairly strong persuasive argument opposing anything but the existence of free will. I would illustrate a situation in which there seemed to be no choice. For example, a gun to ones head, there seems to be no option but to do as the person with the gun says. Although it would be in your best interest to do so, and therefore survive, everybody no matter what they say, still have the option to disobey and be killed. The only thing that was difficult to argue was the existence of God's effect on free will. I would accept such an answer partly because I was never really exposed to God until about 6th grade and therefore I could not relate to the beliefs of that person.

About 2 weeks ago my thoughts towards the reality of free will ceased to exist. Everything that I had previously thought did not mean a thing; I was given a new perspective that grasped me almost instantaneously. Robert Blatchford, author of "The delusion of Free Will" provided me with a new perspective that has taken over my thinking on free will. Blatchford states, "the will is not free, and that it is ruled by heredity and environment." All it took, were those words, ...

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...vironment, and thus everything that he says according his definition has originated as a consequence of his environment.

As a result of studying free will my views have changed significantly. With the help and enlightenment of Robert Blatchford and his essay "The Delusion of Free Will", I have shown that no matter the situation, the roots of what is being presented can be found in the person's environment and heredity. My ability to choose unconditionally no longer exists, but rather a sort of perimeter has been set out, and I will never be able to cross over that. Along the same lines, I was not aware of it, but now I realize that I have subconscious restrictions that determine the way I choose to live my life. Not only am I aware of its existence but also I am able to analyze why, in the past I made the decisions I did, to get me to this point in my life.

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