Benefits: Gain an understanding of 3 philosophical views around the topic of free will.
So That You Can: Use this understanding to focus on making the most of your life.
PREMIUM CONTENT
Do You Have Control of Your Life?
That’s quite a question isn’t it?
If you say, “Yes, of course I have control of my life,” how do you disregard the fact that there are millions of external factors that could take that control away from you in a split second?
If you say, “No, everything that will ever happen to me is already fated to happen,” how do you disregard the fact that we, as a society, hold people accountable for their actions?
Neither of these positions seem to be the “right” one, do they? That’s why, when you really sit and Deliberately Think about whether or not you have control of your life, you’ll suddenly find yourself in a catch-22 — just as I did when I discussed this question with a dear friend recently.
Our Paradoxical Conversation
Our conversation was inspired by this powerful quote from Paulo Coelho:
And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
This quote resonates with both of us because we’ve experienced this phenomenon in our own lives. So I must believe in fate, right? The idea that our lives are determined for us by someone/something, somehow.
Not quite. I also strongly believe that the choices we make shape our lives; that our choices either limit or create the opportunities we are given. This belief suggests that we are in control of our lives — that we have the free will to create our own path.
As these competing thoughts duked it out in my head, I found myself saying, “I really don’t know what I believe in. I don’t really believe in fate, but on some level it does seem to play a part in our lives.”
What did I do next? I Stayed Curious of course ? and decided to learn a bit more about this whole free will thing.
So, today, I’m going to take you on a philosophical journey, and we’ll attempt to answer the question, “Do you have control of your life?” — assuming you’re willing to come along of course.
So whaddya say? Are you ready for this? Then let’s go!
Don't Have Time To Read the Full Post?
Click on the Envelope to Email It To Yourself for Later!
The Expectation Gaps’ Philosophy
Our expectations create the lens through which we see the world. This lens shapes our thoughts, feelings, and ultimately our actions.
We create Expectation Gaps, or limiting beliefs, when we allow our lens to be shaped by other people’s expectations, opinions, or beliefs.
These Gaps separate us from the principles that lead to our full potential and success: belonging, acceptance, esteem, love, and compassion.
We defy the Gaps by examining the expectations we are willing to live by and deciding to transform our lenses.
We will transform our lenses by embracing and promoting the Cycle of Deliberate Thinking.
These are the words I’ve built this organization around — the words I go back to when I start to lose focus of the vision that started it all. But with the question, “Do you have control of your life?” in mind, these words become debatable.
This creed of mine started to leave me with an unsettled feeling because, in order to believe in this philosophy, you also have to believe in free will, right? And I’d just come to the realization that I didn’t know if I believed in free will 100%. Yikes!
Not only that, but I’ve also been encouraging you, and others like you, to become Deliberate Thinkers. What if I’ve led you astray? Double yikes!
So began my journey. Where was my next stop?
When in Doubt, Head to YouTube
At least that’s what I do. ? And I discovered that there are two underlying philosophical views around the topic of free will: determinism and libertarianism (not in the political sense of the word but the metaphysical sense of the word). We need to explore these philosophical doctrines a bit before we can answer the question, “Do you have control of your life?”
Determinism
My understanding of a determinist’s view is that every single thing that happens in our lives is simply a result of cause and effect. Even though we may not be able to pinpoint the exact factor(s) that caused us to take a certain action, with enough information and enough curiosity, we could isolate it (them). Which means, we can’t control our actions because our actions are determined by past events.
Past events have already shaped our beliefs, desires, and temperaments. So, the resulting action we take is the only option available when all of these inputs are combined. Therefore, a determinist would pick the second answer I proposed to the question at hand, “No [I am not in control of my life], everything that will ever happen to me is already fated to happen.”
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s a definition of determinism from Encyclopædia Britannica:
. . . theory that all events, including moral choices, are completely determined by previously existing causes. Determinism is usually understood to preclude free will because it entails that humans cannot act otherwise than they do. The theory holds that the universe is utterly rational because complete knowledge of any given situation assures that unerring knowledge of its future is also possible. . . . the present state of the universe is the effect of its previous state and the cause of the state that follows it. If a mind, at any given moment, could know all of the forces operating in nature and the respective positions of all its components, it would thereby know with certainty the future and the past of every entity, large or small.
On its face, determinism seems to make sense, right? But what do the libertarianists have to say?
Libertarianism
My understanding of a libertarian’s view is that, although cause and effect certainly exists in the physical world, it does not govern the world of human actions. Why? Because humans have a mind that can make choices, i.e. we have free will. These choices can lead to a whole chain of events that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise .
Libertarianists believe that an action is only free if the agent — us; a being propelled by the mind — could have done otherwise. So, if I choose to knock a chair over, for example, the chair has no choice how it falls or where it lands. By contrast, if I choose to knock a person over, that person does have a choice to move, fight back, brace himself, etc. All of which would change how and where he lands.
And here’s an official definition of libertarianism from Britannica:
. . . [the belief] that the universe is indeterministic and that humans possess free will . . .
Pretty straight forward, right? However, Britannica goes on to say:
Libertarianism is vulnerable to what is called the “intelligibility” objection. This objection points out that a person can have no more control over a purely random action than he has over an action that is deterministically inevitable; in neither case does free will enter the picture. Hence, if human actions are indeterministic, free will does not exist.
Mind blown yet? That’s okay. We have one more philosophical view to examine that might make a little more sense.
Compatibilism
My understanding of a compatibilist’s view is that there’s a happy medium between determinism and libertarianism — the two states of being can exist simultaneously. Compatibilists balance these extreme views by introducing the concept that not all actions are created equal.
A compatibilist would agree that every single thing that happens in our lives is simply a result of cause and effect. However — you still have control of your life, to a point, because some actions, or causes, are under your control. The crux of compatibilism is the belief that free will does exist insofar as an effect is caused by a determination that was made internally, i.e. it was self-determined.
For example, a noise is created when you clap your hands. You cannot control whether or not a noise is created because that effect is controlled by an external factor. But, you can control the volume and length of the clap because you determine how hard you clap your hands together and when you stop clapping.
Let’s once again visit Britannica and see what it has to say about compatibilism:
Compatibilism, as the name suggests, is the view that the existence of free will and moral responsibility is compatible with the truth of determinism. In most cases compatibilists (also called “soft” determinists) attempt to achieve this reconciliation by subtly revising or weakening the commonsense notion of free will. . . .
. . . Aristotle (384–322 BCE) wrote that humans are responsible for the actions they freely choose to do—i.e., for their voluntary actions. . . . humans are free to choose between the (limited) alternatives presented to them by their dispositions. Moreover, humans also have the special ability to mold their dispositions and to develop their moral characters. Thus, humans have freedom in two senses: they can choose between the alternatives that result from their dispositions, and they can change or develop the dispositions that present them with these alternatives.
What Do You Believe?
That’s the hard part, right? Picking a side. Because each philosophical doctrine makes some great points, and each one has been defended by some pretty brilliant minds. But do you even need to pick a side?
No! I don’t think you do. Let’s face it, highly intelligent people have been debating whether or not you have control of your life since the beginning of time. And they haven’t come to a consensus, which means this is one of those questions we’ll never have a satisfactory answer to.
So, what do we do when we’re faced with a question for which there’s no logical answer? We trust ourselves! We trust our instincts and settle on the answer that makes the most sense for us and our lives — the answer that you need to believe in to be as peaceful and fulfilled as you can be.
We remember that our bodies and minds are hardwired to help us survive. And, if you truly listen to yourself, to your body and mind, you’ll find that they won’t steer you in the wrong direction.
As for me, the philosophy of The Expectation Gaps makes sense for my life, and that philosophy seems to fall within the realm of compatibilism. Thank goodness! I can keep spreading the word about Deliberate Thinking without feeling like I’m leading anyone astray. ?
Now What?
Well that’s up to you. Or is it? ?
Focus on making the most of your life, on living up to your full potential, whether you believe that you have control of your life or not. If you can manage that, you’ll have the best experience possible with this crazy little thing we call life.
If you’d like to Deliberately Think about the question at hand a bit more, be sure to check out the worksheet I put together for you that will help you do just that.
Plus, there are links to several videos that may be helpful below.
Click here for more posts with a “live fulfilled” theme.
If you’re ready to Stop Settling & Start Living! check out our home page to learn more about what The Expectation Gaps has to offer.
And until next time . . . STAY CURIOUS!
Only Have 1 Minute
Sources & Inspiration
Determinism vs Free Will: Crash Course Philosophy #24, posted to YouTube by CrashCourse on 8.15.16
Compatibilism: Crash Course Philosophy #25, posted to YouTube by CrashCourse on 8.22.16
Do We Really Have Free Will?, posted to YouTube by Second Thought on 3.09.18
Sam Harris on the Illusion of Free Will, posted to YouTube by EAE on 1.28.17
Joe Rogan – Does Free Will Exist?, posted to YouTube by JRE Clips on 8.01.18
PRINTABLE WORKSHEET - Note: You will first have to download the PDF before you can print it.
FILLABLE WORKSHEET - Note: You will first have to download the PDF before you can add text. You will also need Adobe Acrobat on your device.
PIN IT!
