Do you think there’s a free will? If you had to bet on your opinion, how would your bet look like?

If I was asked to make a bet, I would definitely bet on the existence of a free will, although I can’t be sure whether it exists.

But why is that? Am I some crazy gambler or am I just stupid? Well I’m not sure about those two points but I got some good reasons to bet on the existence of a free will.

What Does Free Will Mean?

First I need to make clear what I mean by free will.

Free does not mean completely free. It’s easy to see why there can’t be such a thing as a completely free will: There are just too many things that influence or choices: Genes and society for example. Plus, there are other restrictions due to our body and environment. (Read my article Limitations of the Free Will for a more detailed explanation of that.)

So free means free within limits. The important thing isn’t that we’re not influenced or not restricted in any way, it’s that we still have a choice to make consciously.

Why I Would Make the Bet

I said I got good reasons to bet on the existence of a free will. So I won’t keep them a secret.

Here’s why I would make the bet:

• What happened if I won my bet: I’d win the stakes. Yeah, and I got a free will to decide what to do with it. Would be great for me, wouldn’t it?
• Now let’s see what happened if I lost my bet: Alright, I’d lose my stakes, whatever this would be. In any normal situation, I would be disappointed because of my loss. But remember, having lost my bet would mean there would be no free will. So what would it actually matter? If there’s absolutely no free will, then there’s no sense. The winner of the stakes could take the stakes but he got no free will to decide what to do with it. Would be great for him, wouldn’t it?

All in all, it’s either win or draw. Because nothing really matters if there’s no free will.