My definition of free will is a will that is free from determinants and constraints. I clearly don't have free will because my will is both determined and constrained by my genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. I clearly have a determined and constrained will instead of a free will. My genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences compelled me to post the posts I have posted on this forum. If you had my genes, my environments, my nutrients, and my experiences you would have been typing these words where and when I am typing these words. Conversely, if I had your genes, your environments, your nutrients, and your experiences I would have been reading these words where and when you are reading these words. We are all prisoners of causality living inevitable lives, making inevitable choices, and dying inevitable deaths.

Organisms do not have the ability to make choices that are free from their genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. All choices made by all organisms are determined and constrained by their genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences.

To prove me wrong, you would have to do the following:
1. Live forever without consuming any oxygen, fluids, and food.
2. Do things other organisms e.g. tardigrades, dolphins, chameleons, etc. can do.
3. Be able to teleport everywhere and everywhen.
4. Prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths.
5. Make all living things (including the dead ones and the never born ones) forever happy.
6. Be all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

Once you have done the above tasks, I will be convinced that you have free will. If I had free will I would have already done the above tasks.

None of the actions you mentioned are free from our genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. As I explained in my previous post, you can't go for a walk if you have locked-in syndrome or are tied up or are unconscious. If you had the genes of a virus you would not be going for walks or reading or sleeping or listening to music or discussing what is real.

I am a vegan but I want to be non-consumer. It is impossible for me to live without consuming any oxygen, water and vegan food.

Genes are the foundation for biological organisms. If I had the genes of a dolphin I would have been able to put half of my brain to sleep and keep the other half awake the way dolphins do but I can't do it because I don't have the genes of a dolphin. If I had the genes of a chameleon I would have been able to change the colour of my skin at will but I can't do it because I don't have the genes of a chameleon. If I had the genes of a tardigrade, I could survive in the vacuum of space without a space suit. I can't do it because I don't have the genes of a tardigrade. I could cite millions of cases like this.

If I was put in a very hot environment or very cold environment I would die. This is because my body can maintain homeostasis only within a narrow temperature range. If I had free will, I would have been fine at 1000 degrees Celsius and at minus 270 degrees Celsius. If I was put in a vat of acid, I would die because my body would be consumed by the acid.

I depend on nutrients for my existence. If I was deprived of oxygen, water and food I would die. If I had free will I would have been able to live without consuming any oxygen, water and food. I hate having to breathe, drink and eat. I long to live without consuming anything but I can't do it because I lack free will.

My experiences have a huge effect on all of my choices. I am having this conversation with you in English. If I had never learned English, it would not have been possible for me to have this conversation with you in English. I would love to be fluent in the 600+ languages that are still around without having to learn them.

Every single choice made by organisms is the result of their genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences.

If I have a stroke giving me locked-in syndrome, I would not be able to go for a walk. If someone kidnaps me and ties me up, I would not be able to go for a walk. If someone knocks me unconscious, I would not even have the thought of going for a walk, never mind going for a walk. The examples are endless.

As I suffer from depression, I am unable to sleep well.

I am completely certain of the following:
1. I am conscious.
2. I am typing in English.
3. I am not all-knowing.
4. I am not all-powerful.
5. I change.
6. I can't do lots of things I really want to do e.g. go back in time and prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths and make all living things forever happy.
7. I do some things even though I don't want to do them. Here are some things I have done, currently do or will do even though I don't want to do them:

1. Breathe
2. Eat
3. Drink
4. Sleep
5. Dream
7. Pee
8. Poo
9. Fart
10. Burp
11. Sneeze
12. Cough
13. Age
14. Get ill
15. Get injured
16. Sweat
17. Cry
18. Suffer
19. Snore
20. Think
21. Feel
22. Choose
23. Be conceived
24. Be born
25. Remember some events that I don't want to remember
26. Forget information that I want to remember
27. Die

I am almost certain of the following:
1. I and all the other organisms currently alive will die. Every second brings all organisms closer to death.
2. My body, other organisms, the Earth and the Universe really exist and they are not part of a simulation or hallucination or dream or illusion. It is impossible to be completely certain about this.
3. Other organisms e.g. humans, cows, dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, lions, elephants, butterflies, whales, dolphins, etc. are conscious.
4. Being a vegan is more ethical than being a vegetarian and being a vegetarian is more ethical than being an omnivore.
5. Gods do not exist.
6. Souls do not exist.
7. Reincarnation does not happen.
8. Resurrection does not happen.
10. Organisms evolved and were not created by God or Gods.
11. 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth became extinct in 5 mass extinctions long before humans evolved.
12. Humans and other organisms do not have free will. Our wills are determined and constrained by our genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. The reason I have put this one in the almost certain category is that it is possible that bodies, genes, cells, stars, planets, moons, galaxies, universes, may not actually exist. These things could be part of a simulation or dream or hallucination or illusion. It is impossible to know with complete certainty. I could be a solipsistic soul experiencing the illusion of being in a human body - I have no way to test this idea.

Yes, they can go for a walk or sleep etc. but these things are not free from the effects of genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. They are determined and constrained by the variables.

How can all life be both deterministic and free? They are the opposite of each other.

I agree that all lives are unique, irreplaceable and never to be repeated. I am still trying to figure out the answer to my question: "Aren't all organisms prisoners of causality who live inevitable lives and die inevitable deaths?" I am almost certain that determinism is true but I am not completely certain. I don't know if I will ever be completely certain. What about you?

Thank you very much. What if I can't judge any of them as right or wrong? Would that not leave me in my current agnostic stance? If I had the genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences of another sentient organism e.g. Descartes, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Harold Shipman, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, William Tyndale, Mohandas Gandhi, Celine Dion, Margaret Thatcher, Marie Curie, Myra Hindley, Siddhartha Gautama, a cow, a spider, an ant, a chimpanzee, a whale, a shark, a tiger, a dinosaur, a jellyfish, a starfish, a penguin, a squid, an octopus, a dolphin, a giraffe, a chicken, a dog, a cat, a pig, an alien in another galaxy, etc. would I not have thought their thoughts, felt their feelings and made their choices? Aren't all organisms prisoners of causality who live inevitable lives and die inevitable deaths?

Thank you ever so much for your most helpful summary. Who is right?

Thank you very much for the recommendation. I look forward to reading them.

I agree. Well done for spotting the error. I have spotted errors and omissions in various references but in two cases they refused to correct the errors.

All references are prone to errors, omissions, bias, etc. Unless one is omniscient, one has to handle known unknowns and unknown unknowns.

Thank you ever so much for your detailed reply and for the books you have recommended. I look forward to reading them. Compared to omniscience, I know extremely little. So, I am learning new things daily. I had never heard of Russell's paradox until you mentioned it. I looked up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%27s_paradox as I find Wikipedia to be a good starting point for learning about any topic.

I agree with you.

I want to learn more about mysticism. That's why in a previous post, I asked you to recommend books but you did not recommend any. Also, you did not answer my questions.

Please see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_philosophy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism

My knowledge about mysticism, Perennial philosophy, monism and nondualism is limited to what I have read on Wikipedia.

You have claimed that mystics know the truth and that nondualism is true. You have not proven these two statements.

There were and are many mystics and they all don't have identical worldviews. Which specific mystic or mystics are correct? How do we know that they are correct?

I asked in an earlier post: "Is solipsism true? Is idealism true? Is materialism true? Is monism true? Is dualism true? Is determinism true? Do souls exist?"

You said that the answer to all of these questions is "no". How can that be? Monism is nondualism. You claimed elsewhere that nondualism is true. If nondualism is true then monism is true. How do you know the answer to any of these questions?

I did not say that nothing can be known.

So far, I am completely certain of the following:
1. I am conscious.
2. I am typing in English.
3. I am not all-knowing.
4. I am not all-powerful.
5. I change.
6. I can't do lots of things I really want to do e.g. go back in time and prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths and make all living things forever happy.
7. I do some things even though I don't want to do them. Here are some things I have done, currently do or will do even though I don't want to do them:

1. Breathe
2. Eat
3. Drink
4. Sleep
5. Dream
7. Pee
8. Poo
9. Fart
10. Burp
11. Sneeze
12. Cough
13. Age
14. Get ill
15. Get injured
16. Sweat
17. Cry
18. Suffer
19. Snore
20. Think
21. Feel
22. Choose
23. Be conceived
24. Be born
25. Remember some events that I don't want to remember
26. Forget information that I want to remember
27. Die

I am almost certain of the following:
1. I and all the other organisms currently alive will die. Every second brings all organisms closer to death.
2. My body, other organisms, the Earth and the Universe really exist.
3. Other organisms e.g. humans, cows, dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, lions, elephants, butterflies, whales, dolphins, etc. are conscious.
4. Being a vegan is more ethical than being a vegetarian and being a vegetarian is more ethical than being an omnivore.
5. Gods do not exist.
6. Souls do not exist.
7. Reincarnation does not happen.
8. Resurrection does not happen.
10. Organisms evolved and were not created by God or Gods.
11. 99.9% of all the species to evolve so far on Earth became extinct in 5 mass extinctions long before humans evolved.
12. Humans and other organisms do not have free will. Our wills are determined and constrained by our genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences.

I agree with you.

I agree with you.

No, someone could be convinced that they know the truth about reality yet be mistaken about reality. I have met people who believe that the Earth is flat. They are 100% sure that they are right. I am 100% sure that they are wrong. Why are the answers to my questions "no"? What incontrovertible evidence do you have to prove your claims?

I don't understand your reply. I am sorry about that. Please explain what you mean. Which books are you recommending that we read? Thank you.

If you can prove your claims, please do.

I agree with you again.

I agree with you.

I didn't call mystics liars. I am an agnostic regarding not just the existence and nature of Gods but also about the nature of reality. Is solipsism true? Is idealism true? Is materialism true? Is monism true? Is dualism true? Is determinism true? Do souls exist? I don't know yet. I may never know and that's ok.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I do mean that they are untestable by sensory empiricism. Please tell me what empirical evidence there is that lends these ideas credibility. Mystics may believe their claims, but they could be mistaken about their claims. Being mistaken makes them wrong without making them a liar.

LOL

I am not saying you are wrong. I am not saying your are right either. I really don't know. So sorry about not being omniscient and omnipotent.

I don't know. I wish I knew.

I don't know.

I am trying to learn whether randomness actually exists and how that affects everything else. It's ok if you don't know. I don't know either. I know a very tiny amount and my ignorance is infinite. That's why I am the Truth Seeker and not the Truth Knower.

How do you know that randomness exists and is free from determinants and constraints? Only omnipotence is free from constraints. I don't know if omnipotence actually exists. I also don't know if omnipotence is free from determinants.

How does randomness fit into my definition of free will? How do you know that randomness exists?

My definition does not mention the concept of randomness, nor does it require it. I don't know if randomness actually exists. I know the word exists and people frequently claim that randomness actually exists but I am not yet convinced that randomness exists.

Yes, it makes sense. I agree with you. I am going to stick with my definition of free will, not LuckyR's definition.

I agree that randomness is contrary to determinism. It is also contrary to free will. Does randomness really exist? If it does, how would we know?

Randomness in the brain or anywhere else is just randomness. Randomness does not equal to free will.

You have to ask LuckyR for her/his definition. I have already given my definition.

Thank you very much for your clarification. Please read the reply I posted 15 minutes ago. It is the second last post from your post.

Can neurological processes be semi-deterministic? I don't think so. As far as I know, neurological processes are completely deterministic and therefore, we do not have any free will.

Knowing things with complete certainty is helpful for decision-making. Making decisions with total ignorance is highly risky. I agree with your statement ""I am, therefore I am consciously aware" is about right." I also agree with you about all the unconscious brain activities that keep us alive.

Sorry, I had not noticed your question. Let me try to answer it here. You asked: "So, would it be fair to say that in your view, any biological organism making choices has free will if it's not completely deterministic?"

Can neurological processes be semi-deterministic? I don't think so. As far as I know, neurological processes are completely deterministic and therefore, we do not have any free will.

My definition of free will is a will that is free from determinants and constraints. I clearly don't have free will because my will is both determined and constrained by my genes, environments, nutrients, and experiences. I clearly have a determined and constrained will instead of a free will.

Of course, it is possible that I am an immortal soul who is experiencing the illusion of having a body and being on Earth. It's possible that I don't actually have a brain and body and cells and genes and environments and nutrients. It's possible that I only have the illusory experiences of being embodied. These are interesting ideas but they are totally untestable.