The Myth of Free Will

In the last 500+ years, humans have learned to talk about their environment in more precise ways. The relations we are now able to describe are complex compared to the seemingly simple beliefs we held in the past. The increasing complexity of such descriptions reflects the degree of our understanding of the subject matter as these descriptions mirror the complexities of our environments.

This greater degree of understanding has made it possible for humans to predict and control environmental events. Scientific analysis has been applied to almost all domains of knowledge that humans have encountered; however, there is one area of study that has only recently come under scientific scrutiny....the behavior of organisms.

I am referring to the scientific analysis of behavior. Specifically, I am referring to the study of behavior "in and of itself" such that responses over time constitute the primary dependent variable for experimentation. The ultimate goal of such a science is prediction and control of behavior through the manipulation of environmental events.

Why has it taken 500 years .... since the beginning of the age of enlightenment.... for science to focus its analysis on behavior? One reason is the concept of "free will".

The concept of free will has been with us since ancient times. Coined by the philosophers of old, this interpretation for the "causes" of behavior is over 1000 years old. In fact, if you could travel back into time to visit Socrates, he would feel right at home if we were to talk to him about why people behave the way that they do; conversely, he would be quite lost if we were to talk to him about modern physics or chemistry. Herein lies the heart of the problem...there has been no equivalent scientific development in relation to behavior as there has been in other areas of study.

The doctrine of free will can been seen in almost every aspect of American culture. It is in our documents of freedom, (i.e. the constitution). It is embodied in our prison system, and in our school systems. The doctrine of free will dictates that human behavior is "free and capricious" and "springs forth" from inside of us; thus, there is no way to predict or control it.

Such a view has implications. For example, if men have free will, then their behavior is a symptom of the "quality" of their person. In other words, if someone is considered a criminal it is because they are a "bad" person. Or, to state it another way, because such a person behaves badly, he deserves to be "punished"...why... because he has "free will" and could have decided to not commit the crime in the first place. I postulate that this view is wrong. It is an old way of thinking about behavior and it is this particular way of thinking that constitutes the biggest threat to our survival as a species.

My friends, the is no free will. All events are determined by other things. Behavior is no different. Environmental events determine behavior as much as they determine the evolution of species. Such events are empirical and because of this, such events can be manipulated and thus behavior can be predicted & controlled.

Free will is a bronze age myth! We must turn the methods of science toward this natural phenomenon called "behavior". Other natural sciences have a 500+ year head start! Because no equivalent scientific study of behavior has existed we can do nothing to effectively manage it; thus, our own behavior has begun to place our continued existence as a species in danger. Global climate change is just one example of how we humans were able to create technology derived from natural science which make our lives easier; but, because no equivalent science of behavior exist, we were unable to predict or control the problems that arise as a result of overpopulation (a direct result of human behavior & development of technology).

Science and understanding is our only hope for survival. Specifically, a scientific understanding of behavior is what is necessary in order for us to change our behavior. I think most would agree that a change in our behavior is what we need most right now. The only way to do this is to drop the concept of free will from our descriptions of behavior. Doing so will allow us to become aware of the true determinants of our actions.

Emergent Complexity