Free Will

It became obvious within five minutes that my friend was going to lose the chess match to a six-year-old. When the inevitable happened, everyone celebrated the kid. A few moments later, they congratulated the parents too.

Interesting.

If the kid had been eight years old, would people still congratulate the parents? What about ten? Fifteen?

It looks like the kid gets full credit only after a certain age. It was obvious that the parents had put effort into teaching the kid chess. The more I thought about it, the harder it became to figure out where the parents’ contribution ended and the kid’s contribution began.

The parents must have spent countless hours teaching him. They probably encouraged him whenever he made a good move, sat through games with him, and celebrated his victories. But one thing I didn’t understand was what the motivation was for the kid to listen to his parents and sit through all those games.

At some point the kid must have received positive feedback for something. Maybe he liked winning. Maybe he liked seeing people smile when he made a good move. Maybe he liked the praise and attention that came with it. Maybe he just didn’t like being scolded. Whatever the reason was, something made him continue playing.

But what do we mean when we say the kid “liked” it? Why did he enjoy those things in the first place? Why did praise feel rewarding? Why did attention feel rewarding?

I guess if we keep asking “why” long enough, we eventually arrive at biology, evolution, genetics, brain chemistry, environment, and a hundred other variables.

None of which he had a say in.

The more I thought about it, the harder it became for me to identify a point where the kid became completely independent of his circumstances. Sure, he made decisions, but those decisions seem heavily influenced by things he was exposed to. The starting conditions might be genetics, biology, and environment, but unfortunately he didn’t choose those either.

Side note: Maybe I should have used an example of a kid getting in trouble at school. In that situation, who do we blame? The kid or the parents? The chess example makes me sound like the villain.

Another way to think about this is with a coin toss.

If I ask a random person whether a coin toss is random, most sane people would probably say yes. But I think I would disagree. If it was a controlled experiment and we knew all the starting parameters and external influences, I don’t think the result would be random at all. We just don’t have enough information to predict it.

I would say the same thing if I asked a random stranger to tell me a random number. This example is a little far-fetched because the number of variables involved is much larger, but I think the idea is similar. If we somehow knew every experience that shaped that person, every influence acting on them at that moment, and everything that happened while they were growing up, would the number still be random?

Hmm, I don’t think so.

So, free will?

To me, at this point in time, it’s hard to get behind the idea that we have free will. It feels like we’re just the result of our environment and starting parameters. I feel like there is no “me” in me. (But then what makes me, me? lol)

I know this is a depressing way to look at things, and I know many people will disagree. The unfortunate thing is that we can probably argue about this forever and never arrive at a conclusion. Or maybe that’s the fortunate thing.

It’s been a couple of decades since I watched The Matrix Reloaded, but while thinking about this, one line from the movie came back to me:

Neo: But if you already know what I’m going to choose, how can I make the choice?

Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice. You’ve already made it. You’re here to understand why you made it.

I would like to pretend I understand this exchange. It kind of makes sense.

There is a certain comfort in believing that everything is the result of circumstances and environment and is not my fault. That’s probably why I lean towards not believing in free will.

Hopefully I’m consistent enough to avoid taking credit for my successes as well (if any).