Had a three day conversation about this topic once. We were all suffering from shock trauma and needed to work through our grief. At that time we felt the answer was no we do not ultimately have free will, because :
- Everything is cause and effect
- Every instance of our experienced reality is cumulative
- Reactions, whether mental or physical, are determined by automatic references to prior experiences and information held
- Actions are derived from thoughts, thoughts arrive from and are predetermined by prior experiences
- If thoughts and actions are predetermined, then you have no choice
- If you don't have a choice, you are not to blame
- If you don't have a choice and are not to blame, then we can forgive the writers for killing off Carl in Season 8 of The Walking Dead.
1. the effect sill vary from person to person
2. different people react differently, so the same experience can have vastly different effects on those involved. what may crush some, only makes others more determined
3. not everyone has the same reaction to the same experience, resulting in a myriad of choices being made. if everything were predetermined, we'd all have the same reactions to the same stimuli
4. who says thoughts are predetermined? i may...probably will, react very differently than most people in most situations, if thoughts are predetermined, we'd all be walking in unison, which is definitely not the case
5. you always have a choice. do you take the high road or the low road? that's an ethical question, which wouldn't even exist if our thought were predetermined
6.thats a huge cop out, you are ALWAYS responsible for your actions, no mitigating circumstances. that's why there are "tough decisions"...
7. i don't watch walking dead, i'll have to take your word on that one