Experiments are underway to finally settle the question of whether we have free will, or whether our actions and decisions are entirely deterministic. So far, the jury is still out. There have been some interesting results gathered in the Libet Experiments and subsequent work of a similar nature. This work, however, is, as of today’s date, inconclusive.

Whether we finally find that free will exists, or find that all it predestined by initial conditions; my question is, “Does it matter?” It certainly feels like we have free will. If you knew as a matter of science that you did not, would it change how you act, or how you make decisions? How would we treat criminals if we knew they robbed the liquor store because quantum mechanical interactions in the quarks that make up their neurons compelled them to rob it, and they had no choice in the matter?

Topics: science, neurology, brain, thinking, thoughts, free will, determinism