Free Will fully explained

For many smart people, it’s too simple to get it

This text is now also available as a booklet. Never leave home without it.

Here are, in a nutshell, the main components for understanding Free Will in a helpful order—though they may be read or browsed in any sequence.

There is no need to understand it all. Many of the statements are stand-alone. What doesn’t speak to you won’t always obscure the next point.

So, most paragraphs stand on their own. You don’t need to go over lengthy, multi-level-proofs here. Yet, going through the collection as a whole can be overwhelming. Let me tell you how not to get lost. Read in rounds. Round one: browse, read the sub-headlines. Round two: only read the bold texts. Round three: read a little more. Skip anything that overwhelms you. Next rounds: add paragraphs at every round, keep skipping what you dislike, begin memorizing. Continue until you know it all by heart, or you’ve had enough for now. Promise to revisit.

A lack of nuance in the text will save you precious reading time.

Introduction

Read this like an ingredients list on a food container. Down-to-earth, easy does it. Don’t take it so seriously that it becomes unreadable!

Philosophers have stolen the subject of Free Will from the common person by claiming this needs lofty or deep thinking. That’s the best way not to get it. The race is not always won by the fastest; the smartest don’t always get it first.

This link gives a beautiful overview of an ever-growing list of hundreds of novel ideas by leading physicists, mathematicians, philosophers, and theologians who are smarter, more knowledgeable, and more industrious than I, and who didn’t get it, but who have constructed a broad variety of wild speculations and applied wishful thinking to get to a free will notion.

Thirty years ago, I became the first and only person in world history who understands all of Free Will and is open about it. I’m certain I got it right, but it cost me so much effort to get it that it will never make me arrogant. Study the above link and see that my idea is wholly outside the box/graph. I don’t write this to get fame. At my age, I couldn’t care less. Rather, please know that what I write is not a piece of the puzzle but the whole puzzle.

There must have been several people in every generation who also knew what I discovered, but they had to hide it, like Maimonides, for fear that students would misconstrue it and start denying Free Will in their name.

I don’t have such restraints. A. I’m not someone anyone looks up to.
B. Almost all the smartest people already don’t believe in Free Will.
C. Those still believing in it have no proof, so you can’t dissuade them.

Rabbis E.E. Dessler zatzal and Dovid Gottlieb shelita teach very valuable aspects of Free Will (check them out!) while being silent about parts no one understands. A secondhand car salesperson being quiet about certain aspects of his carriages might be aiming for a fraudulent transaction. But it’s fine when educators focus on what they find safe and sound to teach.

Soon I hope to publish my massive Free Will discovery book (with two additional booklets) spanning hundreds of pages. I finished it a decade ago. Now, it needs serious editing, as my English has improved a lot.

Since my ideas often get the ‘highly educated’ confused forever, I’ve chosen to spread this down-to-earth wisdom through the People.

1. The Importance of Free Will

If it’s unimportant, it’s not Free Will

Free Will favorably distinguishes humans from animals and computers.

Free Will is essential for improving ourselves morally and continuously.

Even when my thoughts about it have no recognition, everyone can use them to improve their lives and the lives of their loved ones dramatically.

Free Will clarifies Evil, Good, Awareness, Punishment, Reward, and more.

With the only solution to the Free Will Enigma coming from knowing a little Judaism, we see again how vital the Jewish Lore is to all of humanity.

Obviously, also Gentles and Atheists have Free Will, or the State and Heaven should not punish them. Yet, one is extra helped if one has literature and loved ones showing one that Free Will is real.

2. What is Free Will?

It’s so easy

Free in Free Will means one can liberate oneself deliberately from who one was by investing time and energy (even a little) to improve morally. That’s all!

Sometimes, improvement comes in a flash, but often, much thinking preceded it, maybe on the back burner, and much consistent action—and so, effort—must follow it to consolidate the progress.

Free Will is to succeed in choosing unappealing Good over appealing Evil.

A moral Should awakens a resistance from our desire to be autonomous. This makes Shoulds less attractive and enables us to apply our Free Will.

Many mechanisms make humans inert, resisting change, like habits and addictions. So, improving will always an uphill battle, enabling Free Will.

Like the ability to think straight and long-term, many human functions are part of the Free Will mechanism, but we can take these for granted here.

Free Will works by reducing morally lesser options’ attractiveness and/or making better ones more attractive. (‘I should …’ is only procrastination.)

So, you could ponder the importance of doing a hard thing; or the futility of going too easy on you; or later punishment or reward for doing or not doing something now. You could read, listen, and ponder your moral issue for more clarity. And any fear of punishment, embarrassment, or shame, and greediness for reward, honor, or pride may be helpful too. Yet, the ultimate motive for not stealing is: it’s not you; you’re not born a thief.

As Moses says: When you see Good and Life opposite Evil and Death [as valid options, spend enough time and energy until you can] choose life.

Maimonides partly quotes Moses (Deuteronomy 30:11-14): After all, that very Set of Commandments I commanded all of you that time, it’s not hidden, and it’s not distant from you all. It’s not in this sky, that we should say, “Who of us shall ascend to this sky for us to fetch it, listen to it, and act on it?” Nor is it across that sea, that we should say, “Who of us shall cross to that overseas for us to fetch it, listen to it, and act on it?” Rather, this Set of Orders is very close to you all, to say it and think it, to act on it.

Everybody can always and everywhere improve, at least just a little. Most people, most of the time, can only structurally improve their lives bit by bit. On top of that, we must acknowledge that we should take all steps.

It is a misunderstanding that we must wait to change until we feel like it. Rather, first, change your behavior, and that will change your feelings. Also, emotions are fleeting, but changed conduct etches into the brain.

You don’t need to believe in Free Will to use it, but it helps when you do.

Sayings of the Fathers: All is (fore)seen, and (still) we’re given permission.

Free Will is also investing in growing to regret past behavior or thought.

In any case, it’s better to live by Wants (beyond Free Will) than by Shoulds.

3. Examples

You notice you slander people when ‘they anger you.’ You may set steps:

1. To motivate yourself, learn how bad evil speak is, especially between Jews. It’s the origin of all baseless hatred, divisiveness, and infighting.

2. Every time, try to say one angry word less than what you feel like.

3. Stop blaming others or justifying yourself for the anger only you made.

4. Feel and talk about the sadness and fear hidden by the anger.

5. Team up with others to stop Evil without using anger or blame.

***

Tobacco abuse. Smoking less doesn’t work. You only inhale more and win nothing. How to stop one of the hardest and most deadly addictions?

1. Some ‘just’ stop and never look back. If you can do that, good for you.

2. If not: Get informed about what the addiction does short-term to your feelings and body. The urge to smoke dies out in 2 minutes—sit it out.

3. Don’t take ‘only one.’

4. Include how your good example will encourage others, loved ones.

5. Focus on short-term benefits (better sleep, more energy and ‘air,’ tastier foods, deeper and shorter sleep, saving money, acknowledging your feelings, not making your close ones ill). Stay away from fear-mongering and guilt complexes.

6. Do take into account that many smokers don’t die suddenly but first become seriously disabled for years. Choose recovery now you still can.

7. Set up a support system for after you stop, before it gets hard. But decide to stop on your own, in the middle of Nature, on a mountaintop.

8. Decide to help others too.

***

1. You notice you feel a tiny bit of a specific displeasure.
2. Ask, What did I quietly say to myself to generate that feeling?
3. What might this self-speak try to heal? Talk about it!
4. What could you say to yourself to get an opposite feeling? Say it.

***

These successes will make you hungry for your next Free Will challenge.

That’s how Free Will works. It is not a choice between improving or not. Rather, it is growing your resolve to improve until you can.

4. What is the Opposite of Free Will?

The easiest way to get it is to understand what is the opposite

1. To go with the flow, not trying to improve. (What will be, will be.)

2. Not to surprise any mortal, and to stay who you ‘are.’

3. To say, ‘What do you want from me? This is who I am.’

4. ‘Without instant gratification, I won’t do it.’

5. Telling a workaholic, ‘You’re lazy’ instead of ‘Less is more.’ That is the opposite of helping a friend to improve.

6. Repeat this until you believe it: ‘Hurting kids is good; it gives them the training they need to deal with mean people and societies.’ This misguided idea creates more Evil overall.

5. Making Sense of Punishment, Reward, and More

No to revenge, favoritism, fatalism, moralism, unawareness, and cruelty

Judgment

Reward is deserved because of the effort made—by swimming against the tide. Sayings of the Fathers says, ‘All [Heavenly] reward follows effort.’

It is predetermined if we use Free Will, have the energy for it, or succeed. But making (fated) efforts is hard and so entitles us to reward! And you can’t say, ‘If I’m fated to do this, I don’t need to put in any effort.’ Only the opposite is true: ‘If I make/made an effort for Good, I was fated to do so.’ Wanting to do Good is part of our human makeup, of being ourselves.

Sayings of the Fathers also recommends (grownups) to serve G^d but not for receiving Heavenly reward. Without G^d giving reward not received below, life wouldn’t be fair—which is demotivating. And G^d created the universe so He can give. But if we receive should be His concern, not ours.

Punishment doesn’t mean you could have done differently, but you should have! A society without punishment discourages morality and being moral.

Most of those incarcerated call themselves innocent. They went with the flow and did what came naturally to them and seemed inevitable. The judge said, ‘You had a choice; you chose wrong.’ S/he should say, ‘You had other options, and you should have chosen better—at least a little.’

A judge convicting someone or not just judges true/false questions—if the suspects should have done better. This is for her not a Free Will problem. Her moral dilemmas may be: Who am I to judge? Should I (not) judge?

After the Sin, Adam and Eve only felt ashamed. G^d punished them to help them feel regret or remorse. Then Cain modeled to them how to repent.

Feelings

Suffering exists to remove it. Why are there dirty dishes? To wash them! Rabbi Dessler says choosing Good in pain gives 1000 times more reward. Free Will needs no absolute Evil. We can opt for morally Better over Good.

Run from calling yourself Evil, which would permit you to commit any Evil. Run from feeling deeply guilty because that only hinders your Free Will to improve you. Feel responsible for the future more than guilty for the past.

Feeling free often is about going with the flow—the opposite of Free Will! As the popular adage goes, ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’

Feeling forced is a generalization in our perception that we may break by disobeying the feeling even a little that we have no room to maneuver.

Truly being enforced comes with an illusion of all power by violators and powerlessness in victims. Then too, a little deviation can break the spell.

Our primordial ‘sin’ may have occurred when we began to see disobeying as a possibility—like saying untruth doesn’t come up until grownups show us. Ironically or not, the opening to disobey enables the choice to obey!

Morality

As long as there’s ethics for Atheists, so long is there Free Will for Atheists. As it says (Midrash), “If only they had forsaken Me but kept My Torah.”

A proper demand not to sin should not be an imposition of an extraneous, extrinsic, external, or alien norm but rather a guide toward our innate, inherited values that make us human beings. No one is born a liar.

What is good for one person is long-term good for everyone. Using Free Will to be your true self goes together well with the good of everyone.

A Should/Ought is hopefully factually saying you can diminish total hurt!

Evil is the infliction of overall unnecessary hurt. Free Will may lessen Evil. The definition of moral Good is less Evil. There can be mistaken ‘good.’

‘Do Good’ is bad advice because we all do, in our own way. More helpful is, ‘Do less Evil; inflict less overall hurt.’

Bad moralism often distorts what is Good. Obeying our body can be Good. Being too brainy or numb can be Evil. Anorexics eating, workaholics taking breaks, or overly critical folks choosing to be pleased are improvements. (Hellenistic philosophers and Christian theologians hold that the body is vile and the mind is vice. Maimonides says that all of the human is holy.)

Time-tested worldviews are more likely not to call needlessly hurting people ‘Good,’ but there’s no guarantee. Don’t rush to conclusions.

Evil people are called those whose behavior is mostly Evil or who did exceptionally Evil things. But really, there are no two qualities of people, good and evil. Every sin is done from silliness. Had you thought a little longer, you wouldn’t have done it. But some people are stubbornly Evil.

How does prayer work if all is predetermined? Jewish Prayer is firstly self-reflection. If G^d foresees all, He has already considered what we’ll pray. Lastly, He answers our requests or enables us to say, We did all we could.

Fate means, too bad you can’t do anything to change the course of history. But predestination, all is foreseen, means that G^d loves us so much that He set it all up so that we will be heroes, not because He makes us act like that but because we act as we wish, which He knew ahead of time. It’s like actors choosing what they want to say, do, and sing, and the play’s author writing these roles for them exactly. But what if you don’t believe in G^d? Well, then you can still make a difference by trying to improve yourself, your record, your life, and the world and expect to be praised for success.

We’re sharply conscious after we break a denial until we get used to it.

6. What Is Not Free Will

If any one thing and everything has some kind of free will, nothing has

If most people can live an ethical life without it, it’s not Free Will.

If it needs a long and complicated explanation, it’s not about Free Will.

If you must be smart, learned, religious, or Jewish for it, it’s not Free Will.

If it needs a dilemma between 2 (or more) equal options, it’s not Free Will.

If you didn’t cause the outcome, it’s not from your Free Will.

If it’s merely a ‘free’ (unforced) choice, it’s not Free Will.

If it needs a (partial) lack of Determinism or Causality, it’s not Free Will.

If it says all is fated and Free Will is just imaginary, that’s not Free Will.

If it needs QM or anything else ill-understood by most, it’s not Free Will.

If it’s not connected to ethics or morality, it’s not Free Will.

If a Free Will idea doesn’t improve what we thought is Free Will, it isn’t.

If computers can have it, it’s not Free Will. They can be reprogrammed or even reprogram themselves, but they can’t make any rewardable effort.

If animals can have it, it’s not Free Will. They can be (re)conditioned or re-educated or good-natured, but they can’t systematically seek perfection.

One can’t choose Evil. To do so, one first must call it’s good and desirable. Even sadists try to inflict hurt to enjoy revenge or power, and not just pain. The Nazis saw the Holocaust as a necessary Evil to ‘improve’ humanity.

Not many super-smart persons from Monotheistic societies will believe in Free Will as more than an (unuseful or useful) illusion unless they are deeply connected to Moses’s teachings about the qualitative difference between Good and Evil. Our smartest (Einstein, Russell) not only rejected Free Will but also proved they couldn’t use it to keep up with being ethical sexually. If it’s not deeply rooted in Judaism, it’s probably not Free Will.

If you can’t read about it in ten minutes, nod, and use it, it’s not Free Will.

The brainy Hellenist philosophers had us completely confused. They saw Free Will as a state, not a process, and did not feel or value most feelings. Free Will never was ‘being unforced and consciously choosing between two equally strong options,’ which is like pondering one hand clapping.

7. Contradicting Standard Philosophy

What I say differently must be so annoying to those knowing philosophy.

• Free Will does not need Hard Determinism pausing.
• Free Will does not require wavering between options.
• Free Will does not mean you Could have done differently.
• Free Will does not go together with effortlessness.
• What feels free is mostly not Free Will.
• Free Will is simple and not (partly) metaphysical or mysterious.
• Free Will is macroscopic, on a human level, not (sub)microscopic.
• Free Will is more a Process, program than a Possession, tool.
• Free Will was hiding in plain sight—in the Torah text.
• An Ought can equal an Is.
• Evil and Good are simple to define.
• There is no Evil intelligence.
• The need for Free Will does not justify absolute Evil.
• Awareness is simple and not metaphysical.
• Better than Should is Want.
• Jewish Wisdom conquered Hellenistic Philosophy.

No wonder the Sages of the Talmud were so hell-bent on not mixing Judaism and Greek Thought.

For comfort: Those who wrongly assumed that Free Will is a standoff between Good and Evil are so right rejecting that kind of ‘free will.’

Let’s not throw out all obsolete philosophy. Rather, let’s give it a dignified place in museums crediting human ingenuity in the face of bewilderment.

8. Why I Won’t Get the Nobel Prize for It

Not all criminals are convicted; not all frontier discoveries are celebrated

Thirty years ago, a philosopher-rabbi said in a lecture I attended, ‘Who solves the enigma of Free Will will get the Nobel Prize.’ I took the ‘job,’ convinced I could. I missed that he’s not on the Prize-awarding board.

Prize nominations for philosophical work must come from philosophy professors, but they can’t follow what I’m saying. They dissect every word until sentences lose all meaning and then say, ‘I don’t understand you.’

Rabbis, generally, are honest enough to admit they believe in Free Will without totally grasping how it works. That is courageous! ‘When the Messiah comes, he’ll show us.’ But I’m not the Messiah so they won’t heed me. But they should be proud that a little Judaism beat Gentile Thought.

9. How Did I Discover This Free Will?

In the future, students of the History of Philosophy will want to know this

In the book, I detail how my knowledge helped me avoid needless detours:
I knew enough cell biology and neurology to know they couldn’t explain it.
I knew enough psychiatry and psychology to see they wouldn’t explain it.
I knew enough from Reevaluation Counseling to see that we are good.
I knew enough to realize that the body isn’t always Evil or thought Good.
I knew enough secular philosophy to see that it couldn’t explain it.
I knew enough about Free Will to guess it needs total (Hard) Determinism.
I knew enough of Judaism to suspect that it should be able to explain it.

For half a year, I thought very hard, which prepared me for an epiphany.

Trying and failing to get it across, I thought I needed to write a big book. It took me 18 years. Then, I tried for a year ‘selling’ what I wrote to no avail.

After the book was done, I wrote small additions or summaries. Putting them chronologically shows how my thinking evolved. This is the latest.

***

I hope you read this booklet with as much pleasure as I wrote it.

You might reread it many times and make notes to internalize it.

***

You may find this as a booklet on Amazon. Some Orthodox Rabbis wrote letters of approbation. They advocate its reading without agreeing per se.