Hi Tom,

1. Coded by genetics to perform a variety of actions with the physical body. This was a general statement in that regard. The "phenotype" in other words. The behavior can be self-directed or other-directed in this capacity. Gratuitous, in that context, means without having to give-back. You don't have to give back your body or life (unless you want). If you fill a glass of water because you are thirsty, the cup is not going to reject the liquid, it's going to SERVE that liquid (does that help?). It is the hardest part to explain in abstract terms, for me.

2. All self-serving actions involve the guarding/re-establishing the sense of self. Hegel's master-slave dialectic illustrates the consequences of such a mindset. It's basically ego against ego (as opposed to ego for ego...)

3. My name is Paul and if you meet me, you'll see my form, which is to say my body. If I help you, then I go from an identifiable form to a functioning entity that extends its usefulness beyond itself to you (which is your real ego self, I believe).

Did this help, or is there something that doesn't seem right?

Thank you for response,

Paul

Very interesting.

I think there is no complete free will. Otherwise, you would naturally resort to randomness. Also, if you have an uncertain future goal in mind, what is predetermined IS the pursuit of the goal and avoidance of the path away from the goal. This mentally only has free will in terms of the goal that was set. Because of the uncertain nature of goals, you're back at square one. I suppose if your set a goal to "always be right" it may actually become self-fulfilling if you believe it with certainty in the PRESENTLY unfolding reality.

If the path is always yellow, perhaps you are ironically always choosing unpredictability in the present moment, which I believe is a contradiction.