Dear Rob:

I am glad you posted again. First, I will add my answers (in parentheses)  to the boldfaced questions asked in the comic strip you attached:

Do you think the chemistry of the brain controls what people do? -Of course. (yes).

Then how can we blame people for their actions? -Because people have free will to do as they choose (most people have some degree of free will, some or much of the time, yes)

Are you saying that ‘free will’ is not part of the brain? – Of course it is. But it’s the part of the brain that’s out there just being kind of free. (no, the “free will” part of the brain is very much part of the brain).

So, you’re saying the ‘free will’ part of the brain is exempt from the natural laws of physics – Obviously. Otherwise we couldn’t blame people for anything they do. (no, the “free will” part of the brain operates according to the natural laws of physics and chemistry).

Do you think the ‘free will’ part of the brain is attached or does it just float nearby? (attached).

I will elaborate: we are never free from the laws of physics and chemistry and we cannot change these laws. The concept of Free Will is most relevant in the context of the Law, Crime and Society: society has to put dangerous people away: in prisons,  or in mental institutions for as long as they are considered dangerous. Therefore, the Law divides people’s actions into Free (and send them to prison) or Not free (and send them to a mental institution for treatment). But in reality, there is no such division between these two groups (therefore there are many people in prison who are very mentally ill).

In every discipline, every topic of study, the academic community divides things, living things and people into groups (for the purpose of organizing), but these divisions are often nothing more than an academic practice aimed at coming up with solutions to problems. These divisions do not exist in real life.

Free Will in real life simply means the following: before you did X, did you or could you have thought about the consequences of doing X? If the answer is Yes, then you are considered to have had free will; if the answer is No, then you are considered to not having had free will. It is a very good idea for us to have free will: to think about the consequences of considered actions, a smart way to go about life.

To consider the question what words and actions are likely to bring me and others well-being?, and to choose those words and actions, is what I refer to as Creating, while acting with no such consideration is what I consider Reacting. Does this make sense to you?

anita