Philosophers have banged away at the concept of "free will" for ... well, forever, it seems. "Free will" -- the ability to choose without constraint or coercion. But definition seems elusive. There is "libertarian free will" which requires, for it to be "free will," to be completely without influence (a patent impossibility) and "deterministic free will" that says all of our "free choices" are actually determined by something besides us (and, thus not "free will"). Somewhere in between is the "compatibilist free will" that allows some influence but includes the ability to make choices anyway. So just how free is our will?
The most reasonable conclusion I can come to -- the one most in connection to facts and experience and other info -- is the version that says that we make choices based on our own ideas, preferences, opinions, and nature. Is that completely free? No, maybe not, but it is more free than "You don't get to actually choose anything" (Determinism) or "All your choices are random" (Libertarian free will).
This is all well and good and I find it a usable platform, but then I realize something horrifying. They want to determine our ideas, preferences, or opinions. Are you aware of that? In our time, there are forces at work that want to tell you what to think and what to prefer. Our ideas, preferences, and opinions are dictated to us. They come from the media, the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, blogs (yes, even blogs like this one.), telvision, entertainment ... all those forces bobbing about outside our skulls, knocking to get in. Maybe we lean toward this particular set and reject that particular set, but lean we do because it is poured down our throats. And in the current set of forces, if you don't comply with their current ideas, preferences, and opinions, you will be canceled. There is force behind these influences. Hey, "influences." Don't they even refer to these Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube types as "influencers"? The question becomes less one of free will and more of "Who has your attention?" In former times when media didn't rule and our lives weren't thoroughly immersed in it, there were other possibilities. There were discussions and pondering where we had time and opportunity to think about stuff. No more. The noise doesn't stop. Our music, our entertainment, our news sources, our politics, all of it demands to be let in and to dictate to us our ideas, preferences, and opinions. And, most importantly, we let it. With precious little means of determining "true or false," "moral or immoral," or even "what does that even mean?", we're rushed headlong into "think this way" and "like this over that" and "believe what we tell you" which then inform our choices ... limited to the ideas, preferences, and opinions we've imbibed.
It's true; to some extent this has always been the case. We've always had inputs and been given ideas and been told what to prefer and such. It's the nature of interpersonal relationships and community. But at no time prior to ours has there been such a concerted torrent of effort to manipulate your will as there is today. Facebook and Google intentionally guide you away from Idea X in favor of Idea Y. They innundate you with ads for the "accepted" products and pour the "approved" news over your screens while blocking the rest. We even encourage it, calling other things "misinformation" and "hate" because, well, they've told us so. Supposedly neutral sources like Wikipedia or our ever-popular "fact checkers" turn out to be not so neutral. And you will actually believe that men can have periods and all white people are racist and "Why shouldn't a man who believes himself to be a woman compete in women's sports?" And if you don't, expect consequences. Perhaps severe consequences. Because we're getting manipulated enough to get to the point where we will consider legislating your ideas, preferences, and opinions.
Is there such a thing as free will? Sure, I think so. Without it, it wouldn't matter what we chose. God couldn't hold us responsible if we didn't make any actual choices. Neither could you nor I nor even the law. "Your honor, I was coerced." I think we do indeed make choices without coercion based on our own ideas, preferences, and opinions. The question becomes "Are you going to have your own ideas, preferences, and opinions, or are you going to let someone else dictate them to you?" If free will is a product of your own choices from your ideas, preferences, and opinions, we are surely less free today given the conscious assault on your ideas, preferences, and opinions and the magnitude of that assault. Our free will is less free today because of the fear our culture has imposed if we disagree. When you can be banned, barred, or canceled for holding views opposed to "the allowed positions," you are no longer free. When I am no longer allowed to determine what I believe to be right, true, or reasonable, I am no longer free. And calling the side "tolerant" that makes these our current conditions is the height of foolishness.
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