Is the such a thing as free will? Do we really have full control over our own actions? Or do the current circumstances dictate what we choose to do?

If object A starts moving, is it not already determined by the current circumstances if it will hit or miss object B? And if in turn object B will perhaps move toward and touch object C? The trajectory of any given object is determined by many factors: Where the objects are placed in relation to each other, what force drives the objects to move and in which direction, what shape the objects have, what is the environment in which the objects are placed, ... ?

If a force moves object A in the exact right way it will hit object B. If not it will miss. But the exact right way is determined by the circumstances: If the objects are far away from each other, more force must be used. The force must move the object in the right direction. If the environment is at a certain angle, force and direction might have to be adjusted. Is the object shaped like a ball or a cube? How are the other objects shaped? Does there happen to be gust of wind as object A starts moving? And if so how strong is that wind blowing and from what direction?

Many factors seem to be of influence on these objects and how they will react, which might make the outcome seem unpredictable. But only because we do not know all of the circumstances, like the strength and direction of the driving force or the wind. If only we would know all of the circumstances that are of influence, we would know the exact outcome of the objects. But we can never know all of these circumstances, or even which ones have an effect on the outcome.

If we see this as a metaphor for us humans and how our own movements are influenced by the circumstances we are currently in, we might state that the outcome is already determined by those circumstances.

A lot of our circumstances are of a biological and psychological nature: The way our brain works on a biological level, how past experiences influence us, how the biological workings of our brain determine in which way these past experiences influence us (a brain that is formed one way might experience an event as strengthening and character building, while a brain that is formed in another way might find this same experience traumatic and crippling), how experiences in turn influence the biological workings of our brain, …

Environmental circumstances also have a psychological dimension: Are we currently in our own home where we feel safe and can be ourselves, or are we in a governmental building in which we are expected to follow a certain social code? Or maybe we don’t feel safe at home anymore because there was a home jacking recently or we tend to act rebellious in a setting where there is an explicit authority present. How the place we are in was designed or decorated can influence if we feel comfortable or uneasy being present in it.

Our actions are also influenced by things like if you feel well fed and rested or if you are currently in good physical health. If you are you might feel more relaxed and at ease, but if you are not you might feel uneasy or even agitated. You might just have had a relaxing time with friends, or you might have encountered someone you’ve had trouble with earlier this day.

All of these circumstances are also influencing each other, and it is the summation of all of these influences that determine the action that we will make. You might be a person that usually plays it safe and doesn’t take a lot of risks, but because all of the circumstances are in a certain way right now you decide to finally enter for that study course you’ve been putting off for years now. If the circumstances where different, like if you where not in the same financial situation or you didn’t have certain past experiences that tell you it’s important to try and improve yourself, you might have been putting it off for even longer. Or if you would have to decide on something else, that is less important to you than these studies, you would not take the same risk and play it safe like you normally do.

With all these factors from the past and the present influencing us, and many more we are not even aware of, where does free will come into play? Of course in many situations we don’t instantly know which action we will take, but I believe that the force of all the factors we contemplate, and the force of all the factors we are not aware of that they are influencing us, already determine the outcome.