Logical Proof of Free Will

[GrantHenderson]

Hey all, I wrote a logical theory for how we have free will, and I'm interested in feedback.
There probably isn’t much new information here for you guys. But I am attempting to write a logical proof that would be engage the average reader, and be convincing to even the harshest critics of free will. In order for this to be effective, it cannot be too long or detailed, but must communicate its points clearly using prose. So there are some interesting ideas I unfortunately had to leave out.


Yes, we have free will, and there is a simple empirical test anyone can do to prove it.

We have free will because we have the capability to meditate.

The major reason many believe we do not have free will is because it is inconceivable that we could gain conscious control over every factor that influences our actions, and act in a contrary manner. It is clear that our thoughts are repeatedly under the influence of countless factors, such as our bodily functions, our sensory interactions with our environment, our past experiences, conceptual systems of thought, genetics, personal inclinations, etc. Many are drawn to the logical conclusion that in order to have “free will” we would have to succeed in the seemingly impossible task of becoming aware of all these factors of influence on our thoughts in order to overcome them by a greater “will power”. However, this stance fails to consider that we are in fact capable of freeing our thoughts from these influences without having to gain conscious control over them. Free will doesn't require gaining conscious control over every factor that influences our thoughts, but rather, escaping them, thereby rendering them inconsequential to our thoughts. More specifically, we can free our thoughts from the confines of our physical body and its causal influences on our thoughts.

An empirical example of our ability to escape the factors of influence on our thoughts is our capability to meditate on command. Meditation is the practice of clearing one's mind of thoughts and emotions, using both mental and physical techniques. Meditation has been reliably measured to reduce brain activity in the default mode network (DMN). While it takes a certain amount of mindfulness, we are capable of meditating under mental duress and stimulating environmental circumstances. Considering this, to presume that any causal (determinable) influence on our thoughts could cause us to meditate is a contradiction. Meditation is a reduction in thought activity, while causal influences on our thoughts are additions of thought activity. A causal influence on our thoughts couldn’t possibly have a null influence on them, for it must induce some sort of effect on them. Therefore, a causal influence on our thoughts could not be responsible for a reduction in our own thought activity via meditation. While we may be compelled to think and act a certain way due to the factors of influence over our thoughts, these factors of influence certainly do not suppress their own effects on our thoughts. Likewise, while we perhaps may be compelled to want to meditate via some causal influence(s), such cannot be responsible for the actual act of meditation. Therefore, our conscious mind is solely responsible for performing meditations. Whereas, the effects of physical phenomena on and of our physical body do not cause us to meditate.

While this conclusion about meditation itself does not demonstrate how our remaining thoughts are self induced, free from determinable influences, it is evidence of a philosophy of mind that supports a logical framework for free will. Meditation empirically proves that mental phenomena is not a subset of physical phenomena by demonstrating that our mind is capable of functioning independent of our physical body. For now, we will call this stuff of mind “non-physical”. While that description of the mind does not suffice to explain the mind in a meaningful way, it is an important fact to recognize for demonstrating how we have free will. When we meditate, we momentarily free our thoughts from the influence of our physical body and of physical phenomena in general. At this same moment, or set of moments, our mind is functioning (thinking) independent of our physical body and of physical phenomena. Our physical brain cannot contribute to our thoughts at the same moment or set of moments in which our non-physical mind contributes to our thoughts independent from our physical body/brain because our thoughts are the stuff of mind, and mind alone. The use of our mind is in thought. So the moment or set of moments in which our mind thinks independent from our physical body/brain is by our mind, and our mind alone. Therefore, we are thinking by our own free will, without the causal influences on and of our physical body. While this moment of free will may be very short lived, and cannot be empirically depicted and quantified among the mass assembly of brain activity, it is the logical consequence of our mind functioning independent from the influences of our physical body/brain.

Many will contest that there is a lack of empirical verifiability in this theory for it to be sufficient. They may claim that we cannot physically measure the effects of our free will and link the cause back to our free will. However, this is because our free will is a product of mental, but not physical phenomena. Therefore, empirical induction can only be used as it pertains to our mental, inner-experiences, as opposed to physical brain activity. In other words, the effects of meditation on our inner experiences must be consistent with the theory in order for the theory to be testably correct. It has already been shown that meditation is empirical proof that we can use our mind independent of our physical body. The contention that remains is if we experience a conscious disconnection from our physical body while meditating. The truth is that this is exactly what meditation reportedly does: People pursue meditation in order to experience a clear understanding of the world that exists beyond their direct involvement within it. Our mind sheds its connection from the selfish impulses, desires and sensations affected by our physical body to peer into the realm of objective ideals. The more focused our meditations become, the more our decisions align with objective ideals outside our personal preferences, desires, impulses and sensations. Thus, the logical theory that our thoughts must transcend outside the confines of our physical body in order to have free will is supported by empirical observation of our inner experiences.

This conclusion provides a clear framework for explaining our conscious experience, and the role of our free will. It demonstrates that we have 3 fundamental aspects of our being. Our being is fundamentally composed of mind, physical body, and spirit. Firstly, as previously mentioned, we have a mind which deals with all matters that we are currently aware of and are thinking about. Our mind is evident by the basic empirical fact that we can think about it. This was long ago deduced by Descartes with his famous quote “I think, therefore I am”. Our mind is the basis of our personal identity, or our “I”. Our mind mediates in-between the two other fundamental aspects of being; our physical body (identity), and our spiritual identity. These other two aspects of our being work upon our mind separately, and induce different effects thereto. Our physical body grounds our mind into a subjective experience of physical reality. Everything about our experience that has subjective characteristics is informed by our physical body. For example, our pleasures and displeasures are based on bodily sensory responses, our perception of physical objects are based on our physical eyes, etc. All that is physically perceptible to us is only so as subjective experience. So when our mind escapes its connection from its physical body, it also escapes its connection from its subjective experience of reality, therefore, opening itself up to an objective experience of reality — all that is objectively true of reality. Therefore, our spirit is our minds connection to objective reality. While our physical eyes alert our mind to physical objects, our spirit gives our mind insight into what objective qualities and processes comprise of these physical objects. While our physical body alerts our mind of pleasing and displeasing sensations, our spirit gives our mind insight into what is causing these sensations. Our spirit is our minds connection to all that is true in the form of ideas.

Our mind identifies with our physical body and our spirit, but it cannot identify with both simultaneously. Our physical body and spirit are incompatible and irreconcilable aspects of our being because our physical body is a subjective aspect of our being, while our spirit is an objective aspect of our being. Therefore, our mind must alternate between identifying with our physical body, disconnected from our spirit, and identifying with our spirit, disconnected to our physical body. When our mind identifies with our physical body, disconnected from our spirit, it obtains information from and about the physical world by means of our physical body/senses. Our resulting thoughts are then determined by our physical body, for they are solely based on our physical body. Whereas, when our mind disconnects from our physical body and identifies with our spirit, it relays that information to our spirit which extracts the true and valuable ideas they carry. These sorts of insights are ones obtained based on objective ideals, free from physical influences. Our mind then reidentifies with our physical body and disconnects from our spirit to carry these insights back to our physical body to be integrated into action upon the physical world. This completes our mindful and spiritual act of free will. This act our mind imposes upon the physical world through our physical body also allows our physical body to once again work upon our mind. This repeats the cycle upon which our mind alternates between acting upon our physical body and our spirit. This basic cycle repeats indefinitely. Whilst our conscious experience has both objective and subjective qualities, we cannot transcend this cycle.

This theory forces us to consider mind phenomena as more than just physical content or activities. We must instead understand the significance of the meaningful, spiritual phenomena that underlies our conscious experiences. Without nurturing the divine spirit within us, we become slaves to our own impulses and desires. Whereas, when we nurture this divine spirit, we learn to live beyond ourselves. We can master our impulses and desires to think and act freely in accordance to what is truly valuable to our lives and the lives of others.

[AshvinP]

Our mind identifies with our physical body and our spirit, but it cannot identify with both simultaneously. Our physical body and spirit are incompatible and irreconcilable aspects of our being because our physical body is a subjective aspect of our being, while our spirit is an objective aspect of our being. Therefore, our mind must alternate between identifying with our physical body, disconnected from our spirit, and identifying with our spirit, disconnected to our physical body. When our mind identifies with our physical body, disconnected from our spirit, it obtains information from and about the physical world by means of our physical body/senses. Our resulting thoughts are then determined by our physical body, for they are solely based on our physical body. Whereas, when our mind disconnects from our physical body and identifies with our spirit, it relays that information to our spirit which extracts the true and valuable ideas they carry. These sorts of insights are ones obtained based on objective ideals, free from physical influences. Our mind then reidentifies with our physical body and disconnects from our spirit to carry these insights back to our physical body to be integrated into action upon the physical world. This completes our mindful and spiritual act of free will. This act our mind imposes upon the physical world through our physical body also allows our physical body to once again work upon our mind. This repeats the cycle upon which our mind alternates between acting upon our physical body and our spirit. This basic cycle repeats indefinitely. Whilst our conscious experience has both objective and subjective qualities, we cannot transcend this cycle.

This theory forces us to consider mind phenomena as more than just physical content or activities. We must instead understand the significance of the meaningful, spiritual phenomena that underlies our conscious experiences. Without nurturing the divine spirit within us, we become slaves to our own impulses and desires. Whereas, when we nurture this divine spirit, we learn to live beyond ourselves. We can master our impulses and desires to think and act freely in accordance to what is truly valuable to our lives and the lives of others.

Hello Grant,

Thanks for this stimulating argument for free will. It certainly holds together well and makes sense. What you wrote about meditation reminds me of another quote:

The ever anew exercised meditation of the construction of reality in human cognition is not only a progressive approach of man to his true nature, but also (and as a matter of fact long before the attainment of his goal) the granting of absolute meaning that man himself presents. It [i.e. this reality meditation] grants the certainty that there is an absolute meaning, for it progressively realizes this meaning. This signifies that the nature of meditation is not something to attain but to achieve – an achievement by which man accomplishes himself. Modern meditation does not desire an entrance into a spiritual world antecedent to it, but rather freely gives itself the responsibility for the origin of a spiritual world, which can only arise out of man accomplishing himself in meditation as a world first. Modern meditation does not object to a desire for self-perfection for reasons that renunciation might expect an all the more richer welcome – but from the insight that neither desire nor renunciation can attain a real meditative content, since only the meditation itself can give this to the latter. This is not the loan that awaits it, but the gift that it offers to the world. Modern meditation is not the path into a pre-meditative world, but the formation of a new metamorphosis of the world. The nature of modern meditative experience is neither one of creaturely emerging from the creative powers of the world nor the dissolution therein, but the transformed emergence of creative spirituality from human self-formation. Meditation is the moral intuition of the human being, the moral imagination of the transmutation of the world process in man and the moral technique of freedom.

There is a lot more to comment on your post and perhaps others will come along with comments soon. For now, I wanted to ask you a question related to the part quoted above.

Have you considered the possibility that the physical body is the Spirit, as experienced by mind within a certain mode of objective consciousness? In other words, the possibility that there is a spiritual perspective from which what we experience as the physical body (with all its organic processes) and what we experience as mind (with all its psychic functions) is felt to proceed forth just as thoughts are felt to proceed forth from our ordinary "I" perspective.

I am not putting this forth as an abstract metaphysical theory, because if we follow the logic, it also implies that our current "I" perspective can grow into greater resonance with these higher-order perspectives from which the psychic and bodily support for our local activity proceeds. There is only Spirit activity at various scales, or states of aggregation, and some perspectives provide the 'curvatures of potential' (which we abstractly label 'mind/soul' and 'body') in which others unfold their activity, progressively awakening to their own creative spirituality that will support the activity of future waves of relative perspectives. In that sense, not only are the body and spirit not incompatible or irreconcilable aspects of our being, but we can fully reconcile them in our living experience through our focused meditative efforts.

[Federica]

Speaking of the question of free will - that I have been reminded of today - I want to report here the most helpful, inspiring illustration I've ever read:

"It may appear to you either presumptuous to want to talk about the future, or as an impossibility to be able to determine anything about the future of humanity. However, if you think about it a little, you will find that the idea that one can know something about the future is not entirely unfounded. All you need to do is compare these things with what the ordinary researcher, for example the natural scientist, can know about the future. He can tell you exactly that, if he mixes oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur together under any conditions, sulfuric acid will always be formed. You can tell exactly what happens when you catch rays through a mirror. Yes, this goes even further in relation to the things of external life; one can predict solar and lunar eclipses for indefinitely long periods of time.

Why can you do that? Because, and insofar as, one knows the laws of physical life. If someone now recognizes the spiritual laws of life, they can also use these laws to say what must happen in the future. It's just that people are usually troubled by one question. It is so easy to think that knowing in advance what will happen is in contradiction with freedom, with arbitrary human action. That is an incorrect feeling. If you bring sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen together under certain conditions, sulfuric acid is formed; this is due to the law of bringing things together. But whether you do it depends on your will. And so it is spiritually too.

A person will do what will happen of their own free will, and the higher the person develops, the freer they will be. One should not think that what a person will do in the future is already determined now because someone can foresee it. But most people have no real understanding of this question, and in fact it is one of the most difficult. Since ancient times, philosophers have struggled with the question of human freedom and the lawful predetermination of phenomena. Almost everything that has been written in this area is highly inadequate, because people usually cannot distinguish between foresight and predetermination. Looking ahead is no different than looking at distant points in space. If you look in space at a distant point, let's say at the street corner over there, and you see that one person is giving another person ten pfennigs, have you then brought about this action? Has any cause been given for it by your seeing it? No. You just see that he does it, and that doesn't compel him to act that way. Now, in a certain respect, it is the same in time, but people cannot understand it. Suppose you are embodied again in a few thousand years. You then do something of your own free will; This is just like the example of the ten pfennigs. The seer may see what will be done in the future, and this future action is no more determined by the present point in time than the gift of the ten pfennigs is determined by the point in space.

It is often said: "when you see that something is going to happen, it is actually predetermined". But then you confuse the future with the present. That wouldn't be foresight into the future if it were already determined. You don't see something that is already there, but rather something that is yet to come. You must clearly understand the concept of looking into the future. This must be practiced and cultivated in patient meditation. Only then will you find the opportunity to grasp these things correctly."


Rodulf Steiner, Theosophy of the Rosicrucian - Munich, June 5, 1907
GA 99 - Part XIII The Future of Man