Question: where does free will come from in all of us( the will to do anything you want) also, i am the yr8 kid that was on the chat earlier)

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  1. Hello! Thanks for the fun CHAT today – you guys were awesome!

    (I did extension Maths and English Lit when I was in high school – so high 5 to your school for supporting you in your Chem!)

    Now…. free will… Fantastic question.
    The whole concept of free will has has religious, legal, ethical, and scientific implications.

    Wikipedia gives a good outline of these (as part of a longggggg entry) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will

    It says, “For example, in the religious realm, free will implies that individual will and choices can coexist with an omnipotent divinity. In the law, it affects considerations of punishment and rehabilitation. In ethics, it may hold implications for whether individuals can be held morally accountable for their actions. In science, neuroscientific findings regarding free will may suggest different ways of predicting human behaviour.”

    It’s fair to say that scientists don’t all agree on where free will comes from. There are many theories.

    You might enjoy this TED talk about freedom (?) of choice:

    Where do you think it comes from?

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  2. Hi again John,

    So you’re the extended chemist eh? Thanks great, I was shocked when I heard that in todays chat. Hope you find it as interesting as I do.

    Mia’s given you some good links, but I can only you my thoughts.
    Free will is one of those wonderful qualities of the human condition, or at least the perception of free will is. If you were nomadic, your ability to enjoy life, or just to live at all would be completely governed by your free will.

    As we now all life in complex civilisations under the heading of capitalism and democracy, free will isn’t something that we really have control over anymore. In order for society to function, we each need to influence eachothers free will in order to get whatever it is we’re after; money, food, security or happiness.

    Not sure thats really a scientific observation, but it the opinion of a scientist… if that counts 🙂

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