The Importance of Free Will
From an Atheist's Perspective
Each of us assumes free will exists whenever we make a logical argument or an appeal to reason. If free will is an illusion, then so is the freedom to logically form an argument using reason. If you aren't actually choosing to think about the logic of an argument, but instead, you're only following pre-programmed cause-and-effect, there would be no way of ever knowing if anything is real, and you would never even be able to trust the conclusion that free will is an illusion, since that could be an illusion as well.
Coming to the conclusion that free will is an illusion is self-defeating (since, if it were true, we would never know whether it was actually true) and it goes against all the assumptions we make during logical arguments and using the scientific method. This conclusion destroys the very foundation that was used to arrive at the conclusion.
It therefore seems more logical to come to the conclusion which supports the validity and trustworthiness of logical conclusions, which is the existence of free will.
People who deny the existence of free will usually say that the subconscious brain selects our thoughts for us, then gives the conscious part of our minds the illusion that we used reason and logic to make a rational choice.
But think about this deeply: How can a part of the brain with NO intentionality, NO goal, and NO plan or purpose, choose to prefer truth over lies, or choose "good" morals over "bad" morals? How can this non-intentional part of your mind select what is rational over what is irrational, without any goal?
This leads directly into our next subheading...
If your subconscious has no intentionality, no plan, no purpose, and no goal, why would you trust any of your thoughts to be the truth instead of falsehood? Why would you trust any of your morals to be "good" instead of "bad?"
If your subconscious brain is constantly feeding the conscious brain illusions and lies, why would you believe any of your thoughts given to you by your subconscious?
If you want to claim that your subconscious brain does operate according to its own will, with its own intentionality, plans, and goals, then you aren't actually denying free will. Instead, what you are claiming is that your brain has TWO wills, one (the subconscious) which has more control over the other, and the conscious mind doesn't have access to the subconscious mind.
In order for the subconscious brain to have intentionality, it would have to have its own free will, therefore, you still would have free will and intentionality, but somehow this would take place separately from your conscious mind.
So your subconscious has its own plans, and is deceiving your conscious brain so that you don't get in its way.
I think it's much simpler (thus following Occam's Razor) and more logical, to assume that free will actually exists at the conscious level.
How Can the Subconscious Brain Choose Things WITHOUT Intention?
People who deny the existence of free will usually say that the subconscious brain selects our thoughts for us, then gives the conscious part of our minds the illusion that we used reason and logic to make a rational choice.
But think about this deeply: How can a part of the brain with NO intentionality, NO goal, and NO plan or purpose, choose to prefer truth over lies, or choose "good" morals over "bad" morals? How can this non-intentional part of your mind select what is rational over what is irrational, without any goal?
This leads directly into our next subheading...
Why Trust Your Subconscious?
If your subconscious has no intentionality, no plan, no purpose, and no goal, why would you trust any of your thoughts to be the truth instead of falsehood? Why would you trust any of your morals to be "good" instead of "bad?"
If your subconscious brain is constantly feeding the conscious brain illusions and lies, why would you believe any of your thoughts given to you by your subconscious?
Do We Have TWO Separate Wills in the Brain?
If you want to claim that your subconscious brain does operate according to its own will, with its own intentionality, plans, and goals, then you aren't actually denying free will. Instead, what you are claiming is that your brain has TWO wills, one (the subconscious) which has more control over the other, and the conscious mind doesn't have access to the subconscious mind.
In order for the subconscious brain to have intentionality, it would have to have its own free will, therefore, you still would have free will and intentionality, but somehow this would take place separately from your conscious mind.
So your subconscious has its own plans, and is deceiving your conscious brain so that you don't get in its way.
I think it's much simpler (thus following Occam's Razor) and more logical, to assume that free will actually exists at the conscious level.
From a Biblical Perspective
Despite what many Calvinists and determinists say, the Bible makes it clear that Yahweh highly values and respects the free will that He granted to humans, and He doesn't like to intervene to alter free will, or the course of history, unless certain thresholds are passed first.
God is love, and love is not possible without freedom to choose to express it. Without free will, “love” would just be a robotic action we were pre-programmed to perform. In fact, every action we take would be determined from eternity past, and God would basically be a puppet-master pulling all the strings, or simply watching things unfold exactly how He already decided they would.
The very first human events recorded in the Scriptures are God having humans go through tests so that they could exercise their free will – Adam and Eve on whether they would eat from the Tree, Cain on whether he would kill Abel or not.
God gave the precious gift of free will to His angels also. A beautiful spirit known as Lucifer, a very high-ranking angel, was granted free will. But he used this free will to turn and attack God in an attempt to be worshiped as God himself. Lucifer harmed many of the other angels and humans in his destructive quest. Lucifer is now known as Satan the Devil. (Isaiah 14:9-20; Ezekiel 28:13-18; Luke 10:18)
Without free will, God had to have programmed Lucifer to rebel, and programmed Adam and Eve to sin, thus God would be the direct cause and architect of all of the evil and suffering we see on earth. This is in direct contradiction to what the Bible says at James 1:13. In addition, it would mean God Himself is very illogical and irrational in getting angry with His creation for doing exactly what He programmed them to do. This would not harmonize with the logical minds He gave us. Plus, many other Scriptures declare that God never does anything immoral or evil.
Also, it goes against how we view ourselves and how we view reality and logic, so even without appealing to the Bible, it doesn't make sense. If we assume that our moral values were given to us by God, then it would be illogical for a God who has similar morals as we do, to be the author of evil.
To quote “Truth Magazine” on this topic, “Morality is real only if mankind is free to choose. In a world of fate or determinism, in which all things are predetermined and fixed, mankind has no responsibility.”
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