/sci/ - Science & Math

Most people against free will view it as materialism vs nonmaterialism (is it all just chemicals or is there an intangible will) but here is a proof against free will that doesn't rely on what consciousness actually is
>P1: People's choices between a range of possible options are determined by which of those choices they most desire to pick
>P2: What people most desire to do is determined by that which they *ULTIMATELY* cannot control
>C1: People's choices between multiple possible options are determined by that which they ultimately cannot control
Let us justify the premises to show the argument is sound
>P1
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Most counter examples would involve someone sacrificing what they personally want for some greater good, but this still falls under the argument as "the want to contribute to some greater good". It does not make sense to speak of
>P2
The word "ultimately" is the operative word here, as we want the first cause of any given desire, not any proximal cause. To show that the first cause must be outside the control of the agent, let us consider the proximal cause of any one desire. The proxinal cause of any one desire could either be determined by something within control of the agent which feels the desire or determined by something outside the agent's control. However, controlling a desire would be an action which itself needs a proximal cause of something either in the agent's control or not in the agent's control. So to find the first cause of our original desire, we must consider the proximal cause of this action to control the desire. Since this could continue ad infinitum, to prevent infinite regress at some point the "ultimate" or first cause of any desire must be outside the agent's control.