Does Free Will Make You a Better Person? -New Research Says "Yes"

If the universe moves according to immutable laws, how can individuals have free will?  This is an excellent question, and one that the "What's going on here then?" tag-team of science and philosophy has been unable to answer.  Luckily, "This is just the way things are now what do we do about it?" is also a big part of what science and philosophy do, and they've recently come up with great results.

Psychological researchers questioned people about their feelings on free will, then gave them the chance to cheat at an irrelevant, minor arithmetic challenge that had absolutely no reward. 

In a new study, psychologists Kathleen Vohs at the University of Minnesota and Jonathan Schooler at the University of California at Santa Barbara tested this question by giving participants passages from The Astonishing Hypothesis, a popular science book by Francis Crick, a biochemist and Nobel laureate (as co-discoverer, with James Watson, of the DNA double helix). Half of the participants got a passage saying that there is no such thing as free will.

The result?  People who blame the universe for their own actions are more likely to cheat in an extremely petty manner (or work to avoid even the minor amount of painful thought involved in doing a math question.)

These results make perfect sense when you think about them (whether you believe you had a choice in thinking about them or not): saying that you have no choice in your behavior is the grown up version of saying "A big boy did it then ran away", only now the big boy is the entire history of the universe.  It's also a great way to get out of thinking very hard.

We're not saying that those who use the laws of physics themselves to avoid responsibility for anything are necessarily worse people, but now 100% of all studies ever performed on the subject would seem to say they are.  Citing the birth of the universe, the creation of matter and the evolution of intelligent life to date as why you chose to have mayo on your sub today is slightly egocentric at best, maniacal at worst, and the fact that it could be true is no defense.

It really doesn't matter if your brain is deterministic or not - the combination of Heisenberg and Chaos Theory mean that nothing will ever be able to predict what you'll do, and "Deterministic except no-one can ever determine it" is a very weak definition of deterministic altogether.  Still an interesting question, of course, but for now, it's probably best to take responsibility for your actions - if for no other reason than "Newton's laws made me do it" won't hold up in court.

Posted by Luke McKinney.
Free will study http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=free-will-vs-programmed-brain

Comments

[Jon H]

There has to be some parallel to religious belief here too – a life predestined and every situation caused by an omniscient being. Not too mention quick forgiveness for any wrongdoing or the "devil made me do it."

Of course, I'm speaking in generalities towards Judeo-Christian beliefs, but many believers hold on to the label of "free will" from God, but their own beliefs and the way they live their lives are completely contradictory to that.

There's no free will if your every move is to make sure you please your god and when bad things happen (either by you or just in general) you say it's god's will. No difference in my opinion.

[Dennis]

Just to expand a little on Jon's post: who is more "moral": the person who doesn't steal, cheat, or commit violence, or the convicted prisoner who doesn't steal, cheat or commit violence (because he's in jail). The point is that there's no morality in being good because you *can't* do otherwise, or in being good because you *know* you'll be caught and punished. Religious attitudes of moral superiority are based on do-good-or-god-will-get-you, so are essentially meaningless. People who are good christians (or muslims or whatever) are people who would have been good muslims or hindus or agnostics or atheists. There are also plenty of bad religious people. That's the reality of free will. Religious explanations for one's behaviour are post-hoc rationalizations.

[ar-lock]

Bah all this shows is that persons bummed out by determanist drivel cheat on somthing meaininless.

i would cheat it is meaningless after all.

howbout i butter up determinism to seem great, like its the dawn of a new age of human rewards and punishment, and then have them do somthing meanigfull

thats a test.

bunch a gimps, oh well they coudnt help but be uninspired they prolly watch alot of tv..

[Sandman]

I should try to look at the free will study URL to get a better idea as to what the study is really all about...The article is way too simplistic...It's very obvious that if you look at the history of humankind, religion, systems of governments, monarchies, hordes of barbarian armies, etc...that people have always asserted free will and the pain and pleasures of the consequence of the choices they made...Religions barbarians and governments have never stopped anyone from rebellion or going against the socially accepted rules thinking behavior of the specific time and place on planet earth...This is how new religions, government, art and science has reformed, changed, created new models etc...To me free will has a context in the place and time of the personal choice. It is a choice, not to "shake the boat" to obey orders, especially if not doing so means your life...Even if (in this context) a person makes a personal choice to sacrifice his/her life for a higher purpose, that choice is the "end game" for the player...Does a person have a free choice to be born in a country where starvation and poverty is normal. What about someone who is held captive, tortured for no reason other than to give a sadist pleasure and then murdered..What personal choice or responsibility did this person have. Maybe the person just didn't have the common sense to see this coming...Tell that to parents of missing children or families of the murder abductions that go on daily in the US..If a person cannot have access to education, cannot read the studies conducted by Western societies on free will, do they have the consciousness or mind set to even think of this concept?...Or do they make what little choices they can make, given the circumstances, and the likely chance of survival within these choices? To me common sense says that we all have free will, free choice within the context of our circumstances of existence. We are new actors set in space and time on a stage that way created collectively by the earth, plants animals and human who have lived, died or changed (climate change, plant/animal extinction, evolution etc...)Individually, we all have choices, even if we refuse to make them, that is a choice. And if you take no personal responsibility for your life that too is a choice...Because personal responsibility is a social construct, laced with all kinds of connotations...The term "Personal Responsibility has been used to punish, abuse, manipulate, boost ego's. It has social connotations,that use the old good vs bad, I or we are better than you scenario...In the US it seems that this personal responsibility issues has been marketed and manipulated into a social propaganda used to victimize victims. The Bush admin has used this concept to go to war, kill maim jail anyone who doesn't go along with the program ..So if the social scientists need to prove themselves superior, want to acquire money and scientific renown through another useless superficial cultural mind masturbation, (propaganda) masked as actual science, go for it...My personal free will, individually social responsibility refuses to buy into this superficial evil garbage. In order to survive, everyone has to exert personal responsibility, even if it's learning how to manipulate, (wow infants scream and cry as a form of communication to get what they want!) use whatever you have learned to support themselves or survive, even blame others, wipe your rear after potty training, etc, for a stake in existence...If you are alive you have had to take personal responsibility for your life in one form or others...Just because you don't use the terms, or disclose your thoughts and actions to prove this theory doesn't negate the fact...But I suppose in the western social science concepts and manipulation of our culture, spreading this social construct to manipulate minds must be relevant! I AM, therefore I exist.

[astottara]

"the western social science concepts and manipulation of our culture, spreading this social construct to manipulate minds must be relevant!"

Whoever said western science isn't a religion (or "belief system") in the first place anyway? Congratulations for making this point about the reality of our existence. Something a lot of people shamefully miss. Going on a hopefully brief religious stance for a second, if we look at say the famous or infamous story of adam and eve, we've been led to believe that 1)yes we DID have free will but now 2) thanks to them we don't anymore.

any wrong step we go to hell - if you believe in jesus you've just joined the elevator religion. nothing you do surmounts in any type of sin. please feel free to torture maim and abuse as many animals (this includes humans) as you deem appropriate to satisfy the urges of the tongue mind and genitals.

well thats at least just a christian stance. i suggest anyone who is vaguely interested in seeing how superficial most christian religions are these days watch a movie filmed after 9/11 about the families of those killed, and some priests and rabbais. most of their faith crumbled. "But God is meant to be all loving.. Thats not my God."

And THIS is free will. If any of you have ever studied the Vedic texts from India you'll find the word KARMA, which means fruitive action. So that translates to also mean REaction. Every action has a reaction, as life goes. So also does responsibility get acknowledged here.

More the problem with thinking its all laid out for you on a tablecloth complete with silver spoon is one of complete atheism - whether labelling oneself christian or any type of religion for that matter. That mentality is a direct translation to "I am God. Everything should go my way for my pleasure." Christians say they follow god but treat themselves like god, not him. they dont follow the scriptures and dont live a life of purity - this is a huge generality and yes some christians do follow the books. but not many, if any. and you can tell.

Free will, from observation, is only appropriate if the person has the intelligence to comprehend morally right from wrong.

[Kelly Craver]

It seems to me that this is a crummy summary of inconsequential, unverifiable research. But, then again, Daily galaxy ain't exactly a science journal.